Dr Todd P Sullivan Archives - Page 69 of 70 - Chiropractor in Burke, VA

What Is an Elimination Diet and When Does This Approach Make Sense?

An “elimination diet” is a methodical process for identifying specific types of food and drink that may be causing negative health effects. Although the popular media often uses this term interchangeably with other phrases like “detox” or “cleansing,” these are actually very different ideas. The goal of “detoxing” is to cleanse the system to remove supposed impurities, while the goal of an elimination diet is to identify food items that may be causing unpleasant physical effects.

The most common reason for undertaking an elimination diet is the suspicion that one may have previously unrecognized food allergies or intolerances. The symptoms of allergies or intolerances can range from annoying (things like rashes, indigestion, diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps, or just a feeling of being unwell) to dangerous or even life-threatening (some people’s sensitivity to peanuts, for instance).

Before we start describing what an elimination diet entails, it is important to provide a warning: You should not attempt to pursue an elimination diet on your own. Such a diet should only be undertaken in collaboration with a trained physician or nutritionist.

At the most fundamental level, elimination diets are designed to pinpoint the “trigger foods” that may be provoking adverse reactions by systematically eliminating potential allergens or irritants from one’s diet in a controlled way over a period of time and monitoring the result. It is very much a “trial and error” process, in which the doctor or nutritionist recommends zero intake of a particular food that may be causing your symptoms for a period of two to four weeks in order to see whether removing that food from your diet results in a cessation of symptoms.

If the symptoms disappear and there is clinical improvement within two to four weeks, then the recommendation might be to eliminate that food entirely from one’s diet permanently. If there is no change after strict adherence to the elimination diet, then the suspected food is probably not the cause, and the doctor or nutritionist moves to the next suspected allergen on the list and tries eliminating it. Sometimes the doctor or nutritionist may recommend eliminating entire food groups, such as dairy, gluten (foods containing wheat or related grain products), sugars, legumes, or certain vegetables or fruits.

One of the many drawbacks of an elimination diet, especially when people try to undertake them on their own, is that they may attempt to eliminate an entire food group such as fruits, when in fact most allergic or intolerance reactions come from citrus fruits. Another drawback is that an elimination diet is hard to maintain—it makes food preparation difficult and “eating out” in restaurants with confidence can be near-impossible. Also, eliminating certain foods or whole food groups from your diet may rob you of essential nutrients, so your doctor or nutritionist may need to recommend supplements to keep you in good health.

All of these warnings and drawbacks aside, there are definitely situations in which an elimination diet can be a very helpful diagnostic tool if it is designed and managed correctly. Elimination diets have proven themselves useful when treating allergies, asthma, autoimmune disorders, skin conditions, arthritis, atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, ADD/ADHD, migraine headaches, mood disorders, and kidney problems.

So if you have symptoms that have not been successfully explained or resolved using other methods, or if you suspect that a certain food or set of foods may be triggering these symptoms, contact your medical doctor, chiropractor, or nutritionist and ask them whether an elimination diet might help to pinpoint the cause. You should know in advance that restrictive diets are difficult to follow, but if your lifestyle allows you to try them (that is, if you don’t eat out in restaurants most of the time), an elimination diet may help you to determine what is triggering your adverse symptoms and thus help to eliminate them.

To learn more please visit us at Chiropractors in Burke, VA.

Where Does Good Balance and Coordination Come From? Introduction to Your Proprioceptive System

Posted on 06.30.14 | Leave a Comment

Proprioception is a complex system of anatomical checks and balances, neural impulses, and brain functions that controls our sense of balance, coordination, and agility. Put most simply, proprioception is the “sixth sense” that enables you to scratch your head without looking in a mirror or climb a flight of stairs without having to look at each step.

Most of us are so accustomed to proprioception that we take it for granted. Its development starts soon after we are born and is observed in infants as soon as they gain control of their neck muscles. When the infant’s body tilts in any direction, its head also tilts in the opposite direction to level its eyes with the horizon. This “righting reflex” is the beginning of our sense of balance.

More technically, proprioception is your body’s ability to transmit a sense of its position in space, analyze that information, and react—either consciously or unconsciously—to stimuli with the proper movement and force. Proprioceptors are a specialized type of motor and sensory nerve that transmits impulses to the central nervous system (in particular, the area of the brain known as the cerebellum) from stimuli felt by the muscles, tendons, joints, and skin. The impulses transmitted by proprioceptors contain vital information, such as the amount of tension in a particular muscle and the relative position of a body part when it is moving.

Proprioception is what enables you to reach for a glass and actually find it in space. It is also what allows you to pick up the glass with just the right amount of force, neither dropping it nor breaking it by squeezing too hard. Proprioception is what enables you to keep your balance when walking on uneven surfaces or when riding a bicycle. The impulses from proprioception combine with input received from the vestibular system (the fluid-filled network in the inner ear that enables us to feel the pull of gravity and know which direction is “up”) and with input from the visual system to create our sense of balance.

However, just as our eyes become weaker with age, so can the proprioceptive system, leading to a loss of proper balance. This is one of the reasons that falling is the number one cause of hospital admissions for people over 60. Something has gone wrong with the complex processing of information needed to maintain their balance, so older people are more likely to slip and fall on stairs or on slippery sidewalks and injure themselves.

Fortunately, you can strengthen your proprioceptive system by practicing simple balance exercises, thus keeping keep your sense of balance from weakening as you grow older. There are many forms of inexpensive exercise equipment (such as BOSU or Bongo Boards) that enable you to stand on a platform that is designed to be wobbly. This instability forces your muscles and your proprioceptive system to work more, and thus become stronger. So if you are over the age of 50, you should consider speaking to your chiropractor about exercises to improve your proprioception. They are very simple but can greatly improve your overall sense of balance, therefore significantly reducing your risk of injury from falls as you grow older.

To learn more please visit us at Chiropractor in Burke, VA.

Chiropractic Helps Reduce Golf Injuries and Improve Player Performance

Posted on 06.25.14 | Leave a Comment

Can chiropractic care improve your golf game? As a golfer, you may have pondered this very question—and now you’re in luck. A recent Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) study showed that a combination of chiropractic care and stretching enables golfers to increase their drive distance by nearly 10%. PGA golfers such as Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington certainly believe this to be true, as they’ve incorporated chiropractic treatment into their training regimens for years. Unsurprisingly, the Titleist Performance Institute believes this to be true as well.

Sponsored by one of the most respected and popular purveyors of golf equipment and apparel, the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) has incorporated chiropractic as a fundamental part of its program since its founding in 2003. TPI was created to study how the human body functions—and functions at its best—when it comes to the game of golf. TPI believes that chiropractors have a unique and valuable perspective in this area given their expertise in human biomechanics as well as their specialized knowledge of the musculoskeletal system. At present, there are over 9,000 TPI-certified professionals in 57 countries, employing chiropractic and other methodologies to help golfers not only improve their performance, but also to avoid injury.

TPI’s work over the past decade has clearly demonstrated that chiropractors have even more to offer golfers than pain relief and rehab support. In fact, chiropractic physicians can actually help golfers to improve their game by identifying and correcting physical limitations that can adversely affect their swings. As an example, the TPI study mentioned above compared two groups of golfers: one practicing only stretching exercises, and the other practicing stretching exercises while receiving chiropractic spinal adjustments. Both groups performed three full swing maneuvers before and after each treatment, and the driving distances they achieved were recorded. After four weeks, the stretching-only group showed no improvement in swing performance, whereas the stretching plus chiropractic group achieved greater driving distance after each treatment.

This is important information for performance-oriented golfers, because although many of them rely on chiropractic care to help them when they are in pain or injured, they may not recognize that chiropractic care can help prevent problems and improve their game. But the TPI-certified chiropractors may to be able to do just that, offering tips and techniques that allow golfers to improve their joint function, customize and optimize their warm-up exercises, recover faster from injuries and soreness, and maximize their efficiency.

So if you’re a golfer, give your chiropractor in Burke, VA a call and ask how he or she might be able to help you. Who knows—you might end up seeing your chiropractor to relieve your back or neck pain after an overly enthusiastic round of golf and find that he or she can help take a few strokes off your score!

If you would like to schedule your TPI examination give our office a call at (703) 912-7822 or visit us at Chiropractor in Burke, VA.

In Your 30s or 40s? Why a Balance Test Makes Good Sense

Posted on 06.24.14 | Leave a Comment

Falls are serious business. In fact, they’re the leading cause of injury for those over the age of 65. Every year, one in three adults age 65 and older slips and falls, sustaining injuries such as hip fractures and head trauma, thus greatly increasing the risk of death. In 2010, there were over 2.3 million non-fatal falls among the elderly, and more than 662,000 of them required hospitalization, at a total cost of over $30 billion. The death rates from falls among older men and women are increasing, having risen sharply over the past decade. Fortunately, whether you are already at that age or still in your 30s or 40s, there is something you can do to prevent becoming a statistic—test and take steps to improve your balance.

Most people—whatever their age—tend not to think very much about their sense of balance until after they’ve suffered a fall. They simply take it for granted and assume that their balance is as keen as it ever was. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. The truth is that people typically start developing balance problems long before they notice them.

But if you are honest in your self-assessment, there are subtle signs and “tip-offs” that your balance may not be quite what you think it is. For example, do you find yourself having to rely on handrails when you go up and down stairs? Do you have to sit down when putting on your shoes or stepping into pants? Do you need to use the armrests of your chair to “push off” when getting out of a chair? If you stand with your feet close together, do you feel “wobbly” and have to steady yourself?

If you answer “Yes” to any of these questions, it might be prudent to ask your doctor, chiropractor, or other healthcare provider to check your balance next time you have an appointment. He or she can perform some simple tests that will determine whether your balance is as it should be. And if your sense of balance is starting to show signs of decline, your chiropractor can help you to improve the situation.

Balance is managed by the brain’s cerebellum region, which controls movement and coordination, but works in conjunction with three other systems—the visual system, the vestibular (inner ear) system, and the proprioceptive system (the sense of body position in space). All these systems work with your muscles (which themselves lose tone and strength with age) and with your spine and spinal cord to adjust to slippery surfaces and maintain balance.

As you pass the age of 40, all of these systems begin to deteriorate and perform less well. This process is often accelerated because people become more sedentary as they age and begin to rely more heavily on their visual system. This presents another problem, because their aging visual system can’t work as quickly as their vestibular system. As a result, older people start to become shakier on their feet. As they become more aware (and frightened) of this shakiness, they often lose their self-confidence and react by becoming even less active. This in turn allows their sense of balance to deteriorate even further, creating a sort of downward spiral or vicious cycle.

A balance test can detect these issues early, and simple exercises practiced a few times each week can, to some extent, halt age-related deterioration. Such exercises are extremely important if you are already over 65, but beginning to perform them when you are younger has been shown to have powerful preventative value in helping people to maintain their balance as they age. In other words, by performing a few simple balance exercises now, when you are still in your 30s or 40s, you can protect yourself from falls when you reach your golden years. So speak to your chiropractor or other healthcare provider about this. And when you do, be sure that you ask them to test your balance and to also prescribe a simple exercise program to help you improve it. Your older self will thank you in the future!

If you would like to get test give our office a call at (703) 912-7822 or visit us at a Chiropractor in Burke, VA.

7 Best Exercises You May Not Know, But Should Be Doing

Posted on 06.20.14 | Leave a Comment

It seems like each week someone, or some organization, is coming up with the newest and the best exercises for the populations. They can be machine-based, using free-weights, bands, or even just using the body and gravity. With all these different options, how can you know which exercises are the rights ones for you? This is the big question as each body is different and has different limitations and needs for optimal exercise health.

Important Tips on Choosing the Right Exercises for You:

1. Choose exercises that you enjoy – Doing exercises that you dread doing may discourage you to perform the exercises, or work out at all. As best you can, make sure that you like the exercises you choose to do.

2. Choose exercises that are convenient or that you have access to – If you are the type of person that is on the go a lot or works a job that has unique hours, then learning exercises that you can do anywhere would be a good choice, or don’t require a lot of equipment.

3. Make it social – Doing an exercise or activity that you can do with at least one other person can encourage you to not only do the exercise but make you feel like you are part of a team.

4. Change it up – Doing the same exercises at the same intensity will only get you so far because of muscle memory. Changing up your routine is important to keep you body stimulated. It’s good for the mind too!

5. Understand your limitations – If you have any injuries or complications, speak to a healthcare professional before jumping in to any old exercise. You want to exercise to help you body, not hurt it.

6. Be flexible with your choice of exercises – If you typically work out at a gym, have a back up exercise routine to work out at home in case you can’t make it to the gym.

7 of the Best Exercises

Kettlebell Swing

Benefits of Kettlebell Swing:
•Burns a lot of calories.
•Strengthens the posterior chain and core muscles.
•Tones and defines the upper back and shoulder muscles.
•Provides cardiovascular conditioning.
•Burns fat.

Watch this video on how to perform the Kettlebell Swing.

Pallof Press

Benefits of Pallof Press:

•Builds your lateral and anterior core.
•Core stabilization.
•Works the glutes and obliques.
•Helps you learn control of the body.
•Can be done standing, kneeling, or laying.
•Can be used with a cable column or resistance band.

Watch this video on how to perform the Pallof Press.

Single Leg Squat

Benefits of Single Leg Squat:

•Reduced injury rates,
•Reduced spinal compression,
•Reduced knee pain,
•Improved stability.
•Engages smaller muscles like the abductors, gluteus medius, and quadratus lumborum.
•Is said to have more carryover to sports than bilateral training.

Watch this video on how to perform the Single Leg Squat.

Bird Dog

Benefits of Bird Dog:

•Uses a person’s body weight for resistance and activates the entire core.
•Strengthens your abdominals, your lower back, butt and thighs
•Improves balance.
•Improve kinesthetic awareness

Watch this video on how to perform the Bird Dog.

Rolling Patterns

Benefits of Rolling Patterns:
•Can function as a basic assessment of the ability to shift weight, cross midline, and coordinate movements of the extremities and the core.

Watch this video on how to perform Rolling Patterns.

Bottoms-Up Kettle Bell

Benefits of Bottoms-Up Kettle Bell:

•Forces your rotator cuff and scapular muscles to fire to keep the kettlebell stable.
•Strengthens rotator cuff.
•Prevents injury.

Watch this video on how to perform Bottoms-Up Kettle Bell.

The Brettzel

Benefits of the Brettzel:

•Total mobility exercise for the quadriceps, hips, piriformis, glutes, low back and thoracic spine.
•Aids in improving shoulder limitations.
•Exposure of quad or hip flexor tightness in rear leg.

Watch this video on how to perform the Brettzel.

To learn more about these exercises please visit us at Chiropractors in Burke, VA.

By Dr. Todd P. Sullivan