We dedicated to working with you to improve your health. Our functional health clinic offers quality chiropractic, rehabilitative care, and many natural therapies to assist you in reaching your health goals. You can expect sound advice on a chiropractic specialty for creating health & wellness in your life. From our warm reception room, to delivering individualized care, we are committed to excellence during your experience at our clinic. Our caring team of doctors & physicians enhance our mission and our commitment to offer you our  best helping hands.

Headaches are a common source of pain for a large number of Americans. 

• 95% of women and 90% of men have had at least one in the past 12 months. 
• And for about 45 million of us, those headaches are chronic. 

 
While a wide variety of over-the-counter and prescription medications have been developed to relieve this pain, they generally do little to address the underlying cause of the problem.  In addition, many of these compounds can have unwanted side effects, particularly if they’re used often, over a prolonged period of time or in combination with other medicines.  A growing awareness of both the limitations and risks of pharmaceuticals has led many headache sufferers to explore alternative approaches to managing them, including chiropractic.
 
Understanding Headaches
Headaches occur for many reasons and can vary greatly in their intensity and duration.  They may arise on their own (these are termed “primary headaches” and account for about 90% of all headaches) or be triggered as a result of some other health condition (described as “secondary headaches”).  Chiropractic physicians most commonly encounter three types of headaches in their work:
 

• Tension headaches are primary headaches that are brought on by unrelieved muscular contractions in the head, neck and shoulders, usually as a result of stress that cannot find an outlet.  These muscular contractions can themselves become the source of broader tension and stress throughout the body, setting in motion a feedback loop that eventually produces a headache.

 

• Migraine headaches are also primary headaches. They are sometimes referred to as vascular headaches because they happen when blood vessels in the head suddenly expand, or “dilate”.  However, we know that the nervous system and genetic factors are also leading contributors.  Sufferers report a wide range of triggers and related symptoms.  Research into the exact cause of migraines is ongoing, and the condition has stubbornly resisted efforts to find a pharmaceutical “silver bullet”.

 

• Cervicogenic headaches are secondary headaches produced when pain begins in the neck or back of the head and is referred to the forehead or the area behind, in and around the eyes.  Trauma, chronic tension and disease are some of the more common initial sources of neck pain that is referred to the head.  Trigger points in the neck, shoulder blade and spine may also be sources of these headaches, though they can be much more difficult to identify. 

 
How Chiropractic Can Help
There is a large and growing body of medical research that suggests chiropractic care can be effective in preventing or reducing the frequency and severity of primary headaches. There is also some evidence that it may have benefits for cervicogenic headache sufferers. 
 
Chiropractic manipulation of the spine and neck is used to improve the alignment of the spine and relieve muscle tension.  It also reduces nerve irritation and improves vascular flow.  Our chiropractic physicians may also recommend massage and/or other therapies as part of a well-rounded treatment plan to maximize your healing. In addition, we'll create a unique program that addresses your concerns, and helps you achieve your goals. Recommendations may include exercise, stretching and relaxation techniques as well as nutritional strategies designed to help prevent future headaches.
 
If you or someone you know is looking for lasting relief from chronic headaches, we encourage you to call us today.  The sooner you call, the sooner we can help you put an end to the suffering and get on with living.  


 
References

1. Headaches and Chiropractic.  American Chiropractic Association.  Accessed August 2011.
2. http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=2186
3. Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine.  AltMD.  Accessed August 2011.
4. http://www.altmd.com/Articles/Headache--Encyclopedia-of-Alternative-Medicine
5. Information for Patients.  American Headache Society.  Accessed August 2011
6. http://www.achenet.org/education/patients/index.asp
7. Research Spotlight:  Study of Spinal Manipulative Therapy for Neck-Related Headaches Reports Findings on Dose and Efficacy.  National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.  Accessed August 2011.
8. http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/041310.htm
9. National Institutes of Health MedlinePlus.  Accessed August 2011.
10. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003024.htm

Long Term Chiropractic Patients Have Higher Blood Levels of DNA Repair Chemicals

The February 18, 2005 issue of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research finds that patients under long-term chiropractic care have higher levels of the blood chemicals associated with effective DNA repair and overall wellness.

The test was a retrospective analysis of 46 patients, all over the age of 40 who had been under short- term chiropractic care for 8-52 weeks or long term wellness care for 52-312 weeks. Researchers assessed the levels of serum thiols, blood factors that have been found to help the body repair the damaging effects stress has on the structure of DNA. Serum thiols are measured in terms of nM cysteine.

The authors found that non-chiropractic treated patients in the control group had serum thiol levels of 124 nM cysteine. Patients with active disease processes going on generally had levels below 90 compared to patients under long-term chiropractic care who had values of 146.
In their conclusion, the authors say, "some final observations should be noted. The results clearly support the recommendations being made for wellness care by chiropractors. In addition, it should be stated that these results occurred under normal practice conditions and indicate what most chiropractors are likely achieving when performing long-term care. Also, it refutes earlier that five to seven years of care was necessary to optimize human health status, as indicated by serum thiol levels.
Our sampling indicates that this can occur in a time frame approximately half that period. Finally, there is no doubt that chiropractic care was the dominant factor in being able to realize thiol values that in some cases have not been seen in nutriceutical testing, the only other intervention shown to improve thiol values."
Long term chiropractic patients have higher blood levels of DNA repair chemicals. (2005). In Touch, 9,1.

Press Release – Female Athlete Triad: Double Check the Score

By Dr. Elizabeth Pilicy

Girls who play soccer, or participate in any endurance sport, may be at risk to develop a combination of three disorders now commonly referred to as the "Female Athlete Triad."

The female athlete triad is composed of the connected pattern of disordered eating, exercise-associated loss of normal cyclic menstrual periods (amenorrhea), and loss of bone mineral density or frank osteoporosis. This disorder is increasingly occurring in athletic women, particularly as more and more girls are participating in high level sports and are starting at increasingly younger ages. The inadequate nutrient supply to the body associated with disordered eating patterns is at the heart of this serious disorder.  This triad as a whole often goes unrecognized.  The consequences of lost bone mineral density can be devastating for the female athlete. Stress fractures or premature osteoporotic fractures can occur, and lost bone mineral density may never be regained.

Our Functional Health and Chiropractic Care is just the thing to keep you and your family healthy... as natural as the sun & air, the functions of your body are improved with chiropractic care. 

​We address the cause of your health condition (whether it's back pain or another 'pain in the neck') not just the symptom. We believe that education is a big part of our patients success. Our chiropractic approach is especially designed for health-conscious people like you. We look forward to seeing you soon.