I am sorry to tell you I am not talking about Skittles the multi colored candy. I am talking about the huge variety of fruits and vegetables available at most grocery stores. A question not often asked is why are there so many different colors in nature and especially in the plant world? How did early man figure out what he could and couldn’t eat?
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Imagine holding a bowling ball in your out stretched hand for hours at a time, believe me it would 
get heavy and your arm would get very tired and sore. Sitting for hours at a computer looking down can have a similar effect and create quite a bit of neck pain. The average human head weighs about 9 lbs. This can put quit a lot of strain on the neck over the coarse of the day.
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Treating pain in the mid and low back in Virginia Beach.
Chiropractors have become the the foremost experts when it comes to treating conditions of the spine. These are our most basic cases. There are many different issues that can cause pain of the mid and low back. Arthritis, herniated disc, facet syndrome, sprain/strains, spinal stenosis, and subluxation just to name a few. As chiropractors we are trained to diagnose and treat these conditions.
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Headaches treatment in Virginia Beach.
Headaches are one of the most common conditions seen in a chiropractic office. As you can see from the picture above there are many different types of headache. The location and severity factor heavily into the labeling of the different types of headache. Causes can include trauma, muscle tension, allergies, hormonal or even extremely rare tumors. Some sources list up to 18 different types and categories of headache. The really great news is that regardless headache type chiropractic and other drug free treatments have proven to be very effective.
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One of the more common conditions treated by chiropractic physicians is a pain or numbness that starts in the low back and runs down the back of the leg. This condition is called sciatica. Sciatica refers to the large sciatic nerve that starts in 
the low back and goes all the way to the toes. Sciatica usually only effects one leg. There are several conditions that can create pain in this nerve.
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Upper back and neck pain that radiates into the shoulder is the most common type of shoulder pain. When shoulder pain originates at the spine the pain will generally run across the top of the shoulder and down into the joint itself. This is generally an easier case to treat. Spinal and shoulder adjusting combined with dry needling and massage gives great relief.
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Arthritis affects about 40 million Americans of all ages. Degenerative arthritis often referred to as degenerative disc disease, degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis afflicts the weight-bearing joints: the knees, hips and spine primarily but can affect any joint. It often manifests following an injury or from repetitive physical tasks that place excess stress upon the joint.
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Restless Leg Syndrome treated in Virginia Beach
As many as one in twenty people might suffer from restless leg syndrome or RLS. This condition interferes with sleep by causing symptoms of an antsy feeling or numbness and tingling in the feet and legs. Other common effects are jumpiness or thrashing of the legs, cramping or regular “Charley horse” sensations. In the case of pregnant women the condition usually resolves when the baby is born. In others, the condition can linger and become quite chronic. RLS can be caused by a deficiency of iron, zinc or fol ate. I have compiled a short list of steps you can take to get rid of or ease the symptoms of RLS.
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Dry needling is a modern science based form of therapy designed to reduce muscle inflammation, tension and pain. Needling with mono filament acupuncture needles at specific points creates a biochemical normalizing effect that reduces pain and improves function. It can also fix electrical dysfunction of the neuromuscular system as well.
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As many of you probably saw during the Olympics this summer many of the athletes including swimmer Michael Phelps had purple circles or “bruises” on their upper backs and shoulders. These spots are the residual effects of cupping therapy. Cupping is a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine that has been in use for more than 3000 years. The primary function of applying suction is to breakdown adhesions and to create a healing cascade in the soft tissue. Cupping also helps the body remove toxins caused by inflammation. This therapy can be very beneficial for the treatment of tight and tender muscles, trigger points, sprains, pinch nerves, sciatica and soreness. Cupping is super safe when performed by a professional. At New Life Chiropractic we use suction therapy in conjunction with chiropractic and massage and find it speeds the healing process.
Today was one of those days when I was shooting from the hip in my attempt to educate my patients. My theory was that humidity helps keep us hydrated by breathing in all that moisture. After doing a little research I found that for the most part I was wrong. The truth of the matter is that heat and high humidity dehydrates us more than dry heat and it comes down to how our body tries to cool itself. High heat as we all know causes us to sweat. The reason we sweat is the body attempts to cool down by producing sweat, that sweat then evaporates on our skin which causes a cooling effect. In dry heat this system is very efficient. With high heat and humidity we sweat but don’t get the cooling effect of evaporation because the air is more saturated already. Our body continues to stay hot and sweat continues to flow, so in essence we get more dehydrated in hot humid weather. Under both conditions it is vital to good health to stay properly hydrated. I promise to do my research in advance next time.
This is a question I get asked several times a year, and of coarse the quick easy answer is yes! This being said I think these patients are really asking; How does chiropractic affect fertility? Is chiropractic treatment safe? How much is this treatment going to cost? Lets address these one at a time.
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You wake up in the mourning and find you are suffering from extreme low back pain, what do you do? You have a stiff neck that wont go away. The pain and numbness are working their way down your shoulder and into your arm. Now what do you do? What do you do for recurring migraines? Believe it or not these can be some of the more difficult conditions to resolve. Where do you go? What do you do? What are your treatment options?
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TMJ or the tempo-mandibular joint is the primary joint of the jaw. Symptoms of TMJ syndrome are headaches and pain and soreness of the jaw muscles primarily near the ear. Other symptoms include clicking or popping when opening the mouth, difficulty opening the mouth, the jaw getting stuck open, as well as pain with yawning, chewing, or opening the mouth wide.
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Do you have a difficult time falling asleep at night? Do you wake in the middle of the night and can not fall back to sleep? Than you may be one of the millions of people who suffer with insomnia. The result of any sleep disturbance is often irritability, depression, anxiety, emotional disturbances, or poor memory. Insomnia can be a sign of poor health and diet as well.
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You do not have to play tennis to get tennis elbow. Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis is an inflammation of one or more tendons as they cross over the elbow joint. This pain is usually located near the epicondyles or the bony bumps on the inside and outside of the elbow joint. Medial epicondylitis is called golfers elbow while the lateral or outside epicondylitis is tennis elbow.
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Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common entrapment (pinched nerve) syndrome. Symptoms of 
carpal tunnel include pain in the wrist and forearm and numbness and tingling in the thumb and first two fingers, all of which tend to be worse at night. Carpal tunnel can effect any one that does repetitive activity with the wrist and hands. Computer work, carpenters and mechanics, chefs and anyone else working with their hands are all prime candidates for carpal tunnel syndrome.
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Low back pain that starts in the gluteal (butt) area and radiating down the back of the leg, caused by compression of the sciatic nerve by the piriformis muscle, is commonly referred to as piriformis syndrome. This condition which is often misdiagnosed as a herniated disc, is an extremely common cause of sciatica (leg pain). The condition is seven times more likely in females than in males.
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People from every walk of life are discovering the healing power of natural health care. Americans and people throughout the world are looking to natural health to find answers in both prevention and the treatment of disease. A 2010 article in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that 45% of Americans sought the advice and treatment of a holistic health doctor within the previous year. CNBC stated that 50+% of Americans see holistic providers each year and the number is growing. 70% of Americans surveyed stated they would seek the advice of a holistic provider if their medical doctor was unable to help them. The large majority (85%) of those who use alternative health care say they would return and continue this type of treatment.
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In the Chinese culture the words yin and yang are used to describe the polar opposites that exist in everything. Yin in general is used to describe feminine nature. Cool, moist, slow-moving or stationary are all said to be traits of yin. The earth, water and the moon are considered feminine and therefore yin. Yin is considered to be in contraction.
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Chiropractic from its origin has always talked about innate intelligence or the bodies ability to heal 
itself. This concept explains how when we are exposed to a bacteria our immune system produces antibodies or even on a more basic level when we cut ourselves the wound heals often without much of a trace. The big question is how and why do some people function at much higher levels than others. This is what got D.D. Palmer (chiropractic founder) excited to think about.
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Allergies are generally a group of symptoms affecting the skin, digestive system, breathing or respiratory system and intestines in people with an extreme sensitivity to a substance that does not bother most other people. These substances called allergens are air born and are generally plant pollens or animal dander. After a person with these sensitivities breaths in an allergen our bodies produce an immune reaction that causes the symptoms. We cough to blow out the allergens. Our eyes and nose produce more mucous as a protective barrier. Dehydration causes headaches and it goes on and on. These symptoms are much the same as when we are exposed to a true pathogen like the virus that causes the common cold. These reactions are not normal and are considered a hypersensitivity.
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Definition of Chiropractic: Chiropractic is a health profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the musculoskeletal system, and the effects of these disorders on the nervous system and general health. There is an emphasis on manual treatments, primarily spinal adjusting.
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Have you ever seen a kid do a superman dive from the ottoman to the sofa? How about a 10 year old trying 50 consecutive times to do a flip on a trampoline or even the birth of a child when the head is pulled hard to release the shoulder? Most of these things would send an adult to the Emergency Room. I could go on and on, tackle football, judo, falling from a tree, a soccer header or even an 8 hour mine craft marathon. Yes children need and should get chiropractic treatments. We offer chiropractic treatment for kids at New Life.
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I recently did a Google search for “back doctor Virginia beach” and chiropractors didn’t show up until page three. I found this to be very disturbing. There were orthopedists, neurologist and a multitude of therapy clinics, but no chiros to be found. If we are not back doctors then what are we. Some would say we are nerve doctors. According to the Virginia Board of Medicine our scope of practice is: “Practice of chiropractic means the adjustment of the twenty-four movable vertebrae of the spinal column, and assisting nature for the purpose of normalizing the transmission of nerve energy. It does not include the use of surgery, obstetrics, osteopathy, nor the administration of any drugs, medicines, serums or vaccine”. This by definition makes us the king of the back doctors.
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Yes, its true we all fart, pass gas, cut the cheese, step on a duck, you get the idea. The big question is how much is normal and when does it become a sign of a malfunctioning digestive system. Believe it or not there are answers to this question.
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Everybody feels stress! The good news is that stress can be a very beneficial emotion. Stress in its healthy form can help us get things done and to reach our goals. Stress can help us to be more efficient and can even help to improve our memory. A little stress before a big exam is just enough to get us through.
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Tendinitis
Tendinitis is one of the many conditions we fix at New Life Chiropractic. Notice how I use the word fix and not treat. At New Life we strive to correct the mechanical problem that is the underlying cause of tendinitis. Lets start with a brief definition of exactly what tendinitis is. I will then explain the different types of tendinitis, as well as how we diagnose and treat (fix) tendonitis.
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No matter what you call this condition the one thing they all have in common is they hurt real bad. This can happen when you 
are lifting a heavy box, going for a swim or a run or even just lying in bed. Everyone at some point will experience a muscle spasm, a cramp or a charley horse. Cramps or spasms are caused by involuntary contraction of a muscle. Any muscle can be effected but the large leg and back muscles are the most common. The question is what causes them and what can you do to relieve the pain once this condition occurs.
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Holism – The first guiding principle of Chiropractic.
Doctors of chiropractic like to quote D.D. Palmer the professions founder and talk about the “philosophy, art and science of chiropractic”. The philosophy part are the principles we use to guide our treatment. The first of these principals is Holism.
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Intense workouts improve health.
Not feeling up for a half-hour on the bike? Can’t find the time to jog or walk a few miles? Good news out of Abertay University in Scotland, where researchers put 12 retired people to the test.
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Foods to help with brain function and focus. Ginseng, Fish, Berries, or Caffeine? Listen to the buzz about foods and dietary supplements, and you’ll believe they can do everything from sharpen focus to enhance memory, attention span, and brain function. But do they really work? There’s no denying that as we age, our body ages right along with us. The good news is that you can improve your chances of maintaining a healthy brain if you add “smart” foods and drinks to your diet. Caffeine Can Make You More Alert. There’s no magic bullet to boost IQ or make you smarter — but certain substances, like caffeine, can energize you and help you concentrate. Found in coffee, chocolate, energy drinks, and some medications, caffeine gives you that unmistakable wake-up buzz, though the effects are short-term. And more is often less: Overdo it on caffeine and it can make you jittery and uncomfortable.
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~~Should I use ice or heat for pain?
One of the most frequent questions I get asked at New Life Chiropractic is whether heat or ice is most effective for the treatment of acute pain. As a general rule ice is the best bet. Ice reduces swelling, reduces inflammation and produces an analgesic (pain reducing) effect caused by the numbing from the cold.
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What is Fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia syndrome is a condition that shows up as widespread pain and tenderness in multiple areas throughout the body. It was originally thought that this pain originated in the muscle and or soft tissue of the pain areas. Chiropractors have known and it is now proven that this is a condition of the central nervous system. Pressure on the nerves of the spine cause the pain receptors of the body to become super sensitive causing pain to be produced with much lighter pressure than normal. We call this allodynia. Along with the allodynia, many other symptoms can be present such as headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, numbness and tingling in the extremities as well as anxiety and depression.
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Extremity adjusting is the treatment of all the other joints in the body away from the spine. The upper extremity consists of the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand. Lower would be the hips, knees, ankles and feet. All of the joints upper and lower can be treated with chiropractic. Conditions like frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel, runners knee and plantar fasciitis can all be treated with great success.
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10 Secrets to Live to 100
In the year 2000, the United Nations estimated that there were more than 180,000 people over the age of 100 throughout the world, a figure that will jump to 3.2 million by the year 2050. Centenarians make up the fastest-growing section of the population in developed countries.
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Changing the face of healthcare.
How enthusiastic is Jeff Hays, executive producer of the much-anticipated documentary originally titled”Medical, Inc.” (recently retitled “Doctored”) about his soon-to-be-released documentary? According to
Hays, he’s more proud of this film than any other film he’s done. Exciting words from the man with “On Native Soil” and “Farenhype 9/11,” among other works, to his credit.
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New Life Chiropractic in Virginia Beach is happy to announce that we are now members of the ChiroHealthUSA network. In the past few years many of the health insurance programs including BC/BS, Medicare and others have started conducting random audits in an attempt to find doctors offering discount or free services to their uninsured or under insured patients. They consider this a breach of contract and grounds for being kicked out of their program. For many reasons this was highly unfair to patients without insurance or under insured patients. In an attempt to fix this problem a group of chiropractors created a discount insurance company that would make it legal and ethical for us to give a substantial discount to patients joining this group.
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Guide to proper water consumption.
What is the proper amount of water I should consume daily? This guide should help to resolve this important question.
As a chiropractor I often get asked how much is the right amount of water I should drink daily? This is not a difficult question, but has no simple answer. What kind of health are you in, what climate do you live in, and daily activity level are all factors to be considered when deciding water intake. Understanding your bodies demands for fluid will help you determine your daily water needs.
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The 5 best exercises to do with no equipment needed.
1.) Walking – a brisk continuous walk is one of the best forms of exercise that can be done. Chiropractors prefer walking because it is very low impact and still offers a great workout. The walk should be done at a 15-20 minute per mile pace for 30-45 minutes, and can be done daily.
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REAL DOCTOR?
Chiropractors often get asked whether or not we are real doctor. This could be insulting, but the question usually comes from a lack of understanding of the curriculum of a chiropractic college. These are the current requirements so you can decide for yourself.
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Chiropractic is safe!
Yes chiropractic is safe. On average a medical doctor pays from $10,000 to over $50,000 a year for their malpractice insurance. Chiropractors pay about $1200 for the same insurance. We pay less not because the insurance companies like us, but because we don’t hurt people. We have been developing modern chiropractic care for well over 100 years.
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Patients at my Virginia Beach Chiropractic clinic often ask what is a healthy diet? This is an extremely complicated question with many possible answers. I think it is safe to say that a healthy diet should be vegetable based with a lot of variety. Avoiding or reducing the amount of processed wheat and products containing large quantities of sugar. Meat should be minimal with lean chicken or fish the primary type. Low fat dairy in small amounts can be ok.
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A
pinch nerve can be one of the most severe pains you can experience. It can be sharp stabbing at the source and can cause pain to shoot or radiate the entire path of the nerve. Following the initial episode the nerve becomes swollen and inflamed making it more prone to another pinch. The secret to getting relief is to reduce swelling. This can be done several ways. The chiropractic treament opens the spaces around the nerve and relieves tension on the surrounding structures. Ultrasound can be used to reduce the swelling and inflammation. Ice is the best home remedy.We are experts on the treatment of pinched nerves at New Life Chiropractic of Virginia Beach. Call Today. 222-0910