|
Muscle and Joint Pain Dr. Barkins is a Doctor of Chiropractic
and uses various methods to help patients achieve health such as: Applied Kinesiology, Arthro-stim
(instrument adjusting), Cranial-sacral therapy, and 'no-needle' acupuncture. She also uses Physio-therapy such as cold
laser, ultrasound, and myofascial release. Click here for chiropractic article Arthro-Stim The Arthro-stim instrument is a state-of-the-art method
for chiropractic treatment that does not cause stress on the joints and is extremely gentle. This method is used
for adjusting all parts of the body using a low-force adjusting instrument.
Chiropractic adjustments help
stimulate the body to heal itself. Traditionally, chiropractors have used single high-energy thrusting and pulling movements
to adjust areas of the body. The new technology instrument adjustment, Arthrostim, is gentle, effective and produces precise
movements which stimulate 'neural receptors' in an area. These receptors, in turn, produce nerve impulses which relay crucial
information to the brain. The brain depends on this 'neurological feedback stream' to update its awareness about an area.
Once the brain evaluates the changes prompted by the adjustment, it issues self-correcting commands to the muscular system,
and other systems, to bring about healing changes.
The Benefits
The ArthroStim™ Instrument permits
your doctor to maintain the effectiveness of your adjustment while using minimal amount of force. Individuals that may especially
benefit from the use of the ArthroStim™ Instrument include: infants and young children, individuals in acute pain, elderly,
sensitive patients and those with hypermobile joints.
Microcurrent Therapy Using Specific Frequencies
This is an extremely effective therapy that may be used instead of acupuncture needles to promote healing of all tissues.
Alleviation of pain, inflammation, spasm, restricted range of motion, and tissue damage can be treated at the cellular level
for improved healing. Some of the most enthusiastic advocates of microcurrent therapy are professional athletes and their
trainers because the pain and soft tissue injuries are healed so quickly. Microcurrent therapy can improve and speed healing
of almost any health issue.
Cold Laser Cold laser is a term used for a new technology designed to help rejuvenate cells anywhere in the body. Cold laser
devices emit low level red light that helps with tissue healing, pain, inflammation, and stimulates the cell's energy
system. Healing is essentially a cellular process and this type of light energy initiates a cascade of healing reactions that
can be used for a wide variety of health conditions. Cold lasers are sometimes used for acupuncture, with the laser stimulating
the body's acupressure points, rather than using needles. This regimen appeals to those who want acupuncture, but who fear
the pain of needles. WHAT CAUSES
PAIN? Anytime
that you have pain, there is inflammation around the joint, nerve tissue, muscle, bone, or other body tissue. Pain and inflammation
can be caused by physical trauma (new or old injuries), micro trauma (repetitive stress on joints), chemical and nutrient
imbalances, allergies, digestive disorders, stress, hormonal imbalance, toxins and inappropriate diet and lifestyle. These
conditions respond well to manual treatment and natural remedies.
WHAT TRIGGERS THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE?
Referred Pain
Many times the underlying cause of a pain condition is not directly related to the immediate
area of pain. Pain can be referred from organs and tissues to a distant location. Nerve irritation can cause a reoccurring
pain cycle that can broken with specific natural treatment methods.
Nerve Pain
Pain can be caused by
direct irritation to a spinal nerve. The irritated nerve can cause pain and inflammation in muscles, glands and tissues. As
long as the nerve is irritated, the pain will continue. Gentle
chiropractic treatment is effective in treating the irritated nerves and helps to relieve pain, sometimes instantly.
Hormone Imbalance
Inflammatory responses (inflammation with pain) are common with the imbalance of hormones.
Joint pain, sciatica, back pain, fibromyalgia, shoulder pain, and chronic pain conditions may be aggravated. Each
individual may experience different severities of symptoms.
Diet
The food that you eat can be one of
the primary triggers of the inflammatory response causing pain in joints, muscles, and the spine. This may explain why vegetarian
and allergy modified diets have been helpful for some people in improving pain and inflammation, especially those with arthritis.
Gastrointestinal Tract
Fifty to seventy percent of the immune system is found in the gastrointestinal (GI)
tract. If there is a digestive disorder (bacteria, yeast, parasites, maldigestion), the immune function in the GI tract can
be hampered. This can start a chain reaction: 1. the digestive disorder creates an immune weakness making the GI tract susceptible
to infections, 2. due to immune weakness the body forms antigens (allergic reactors) against foods, 3. allergies can increase
and can cause an autoimmune inflammatory process to begin. Rheumatoid arthritis is an example of an inflammatory disease that
has been related to digestive disorders and a hyper-reactive autoimmune response. Less severe inflammation and pain can also
be caused by GI tract disorders.
Adrenal Hormone System
The adrenal system is another important regulator
of the inflammatory response. The adrenal glands are located on top of the kidneys. They produce hormones for the body’s
“fight or flight response”. They also regulate the immune system, hormonal system, muscle integrity, sleep, connective
tissue, and inflammatory response, among other things. When the adrenal glands are weak, damaged tissue from an injury heals
more slowly, less completely, and inflammation will persist longer.
The adrenals will not be able to respond properly
to help decrease pain and inflammation in your joints and body by producing cortisol, when they are weakened from prolonged
physical or emotional stress. Other factors that contribute to adrenal weakness are sugar imbalance, menopause, pregnancy,
lack of rest, and inappropriate diet and/or exercise.
The adrenals can be strengthened with the proper supplemental
program and appropriate lifestyle changes. Pain and inflammation can also be alleviated with specific herbs and homeopathics,
as well as manual treatment for the nerves and joints. Toxicity Toxic chemicals can
build up in the tissues and contribute to inflammation. These chemicals can come from poor digestion, environmental toxins,
poor diet, allergic responses to foods or airborne allergens, heavy metal toxicity (especially mercury), pathogens such as
bacteria, parasites, or fungus, prescription drugs, and other sources. A medical researched detoxification program helps
to release the toxins. Allergies Food allergies and airborne allergies contribute to inflammation.
Testing and elimination of the food from the diet is the first step for treatment. The Allergy Elimination Technique
(NAET) treatment "turns-off the switch" so the body does not over-react to the substances and you can
eat the food again.
(see
“DIGESTIVE HEALTH”, “ IMMUNITY/FATIGUE”, “TREATMENT METHODS” button for more information).
|
