Categories
Cancer

Your genetic makeup and cancer

There is a testing procedure in the UK that holds great promise in the world of personalized medical treatments. This article from the BBC explains a method of testing in the UK that matches drug treatments to a person’s genetic makeup.

This is similar to what RGCC testing does for cancer patients. RGCC testing can provide a detailed breakdown of which drugs, supplements, and treatments will be effective against cancer for each individual patient.

Dr. Lewis is the only RGCC provider in SW Virginia

Categories
Chiropractic

Chiropractic Relief for Neck and Low Back Pain



By Dennis Lopez, D.C., Faculty Clinician, Palmer Chiropractic Clinics

If you’ve ever had neck pain or low back pain then you know that it can vary in duration and intensity.


Some people have minor aches that subside after a few days of rest, while others have severe or chronic back pain. Whether the neck and back pain comes from an injury or feels like it just started one morning, you want relief. Chiropractic is a proven and effective treatment for musculoskeletal conditions including neck and low back pain. Millions of people suffer from neck and low back pain every year and they seek several different
types of treatment. Chiropractic offers an alternative that has been proven safe and effective without the use of drugs or surgery. Chiropractic uses orthopedic and neurological exams to develop an individualized care plan based on each patient’s needs.

During the examination, the doctor will discover any decreased range of motion with or without pain. The neurological exams help the doctor to find any loss of function, sensation or numbness. After determining the cause of a patient’s low back pain, chiropractors can instruct and guide each patient through a plan that includes chiropractic techniques or co-management with a specialist or physical therapist. The chiropractic profession has numerous techniques that offer different approaches for neck and back pain patients.

Pain is often the first symptom a patient notices, but what most patients don’t know is that neck and back pain starts with muscle imbalances that lead to dysfunction of the spinal joints. Spinal dysfunction can lead to greater conditions such as a herniated disc or degeneration of the vertebral bones of the spine. Pain can occur at any point during this cycle, but it isn’t uncommon to start having pain after a more serious condition has developed. Chiropractic looks to treat and prevent the underlying causes of neck and back pain through specific adjustments of the spinal bones. During a specific chiropractic adjustment there may be a release of nitrogen gas when a spinal joint is gapped. This “pop” or “crack” is a normal response to chiropractic adjustments. In the early 1960s, James Cox. D.C., developed a technique that combines chiropractic principles and osteopathic principles by Allan Stoddard, D.O. The Cox Technic uses a specially designed chiropractic table that performs specific flexion and traction of the spine. This technique decompresses the spine and restores motion to the vertebral joints.

There are many ways to treat neck pain and back pain, from low force instrument adjustments to mechanically assisted adjustments with a drop tables or the flexion-traction table for individuals who are concerned about the” pop” or “crack.” Chiropractic is a safe and effective option in today’s health care environment.
Citations:
Cooperstein, R., & Gleberzon, B. (2004). Technique systems in chiropractic. (1st ed.). Edinburgh, UK: Churchhill Livingstone. Retrieved from http://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/

Morris, C. (1999, January). Chiropractic rehabilitation of a patient with s1 radiculopathy associated with a large lumbar disk herniation. Retrieved from http://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754(99)70105- 3/

abstract Snow, G. (2001, May). Chiropractic management of a patient with lumbar spinal stenosis. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11353943

Gudavalli, M., Cambron, J., & McGregor, M. (2006, July). A randomized clinical trial and subgroup analysis to compare flexion-distraction with active exercise for chronic low back pain. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16341712

Categories
FunctionalMedicine

Air quality and quality of life

There is a huge amount of information out there on how to make our lives healthier, but it is often overwhelming. Here are some basic facts.

What we eat, what we breathe and what we think directly affects how we feel.  So today let us talk about some small things you can do to make your life healthier and help you feel better. 

Air quality affects our lives in many ways, and in the winter it is easy for the dust to build up in the air.  Dust and dander aggravate your lungs, and this can cause inflammation and makes your lungs more susceptible to bacterial and viral infections.

Impurities in the air can also tax your immune system.  Allergens in the air can distract your immune system from other health issues that need  attention.  Depending upon the person, impurities in the air can trigger bronchitis, asthma, allergies, headaches, fatigue, and gut problems. Mold exposure and mold allergies are a serious issue.

One simple thing you can do is change your air filter in your heating units and your vacuum cleaners.  Make sure you have HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters and they are replaced regularly. HEPA grade air filters remove particles down to 3 microns from the air. This is the same level of filtration that is used in hospital settings. They are not expensive, and they are a big help. 

There are many good air filters on the market depending on what you want to spend. You can spend hundreds of dollars on an air filter or you can dump out your shop vac, put a clean new HEPA filter on it and use it to change out the air in your house room by room in a couple minutes.  I highly recommend an air filter in your bedroom. Especially if someone in your family is prone to bronchitis or other lung issues.

Another thing you can do whenever possible is try to avoid having carpeting in your home. In most parts of the world they no longer put carpets in houses because the carpets harbor so many allergens. If you must have carpet, please vacuum it regularly with HEPA approved vacuum cleaner bags and put air filters in your home. 

Speaking of air filters, did you know your nose is an air filter and you need to clean that too. The inside of our sinuses is sticky like flypaper. It constantly catches minute particles of dust and debris out of the air.  If you do not clean out your sinuses it can cause swelling, pressure, headaches, and snoring.

There are also many ways to clean your sinuses. I recommend that you clean your nose in the shower daily.  An easy way to do this is to cup water in your hand and snuffle water with your nose being careful not to inhale any water into your lungs.  Do this twice while in the shower and blow your nose thoroughly before you get out. You can also purchase commercial Neti pots and saline sprays These are easy ways to improve your environment and your health.  

Yours in health Dr Kim

Categories
Español

Beneficios de la Quiropráctica

La quiropráctica ayuda al sistema nervioso a funcionar óptimamente. Cuando el sistema nervioso funciona adecuadamente, éste nos ayuda a equilibrar nuestra salud frente las enfermedades. Las subluxaciones interfieren en la comunicación del sistema nervioso, y por ello padecemos dolencias y síntomas con frecuencia.

La quiropráctica no sólo ayuda a nuestro cuerpo a recuperarse antes y funcionar mejor, sino que también previene futuras enfermedades y molestias.

Algunos de los problemas más comunes en los que la quiropráctica puede ayudarte son:

Dolor de cabeza

Muchas personas que padecen dolores de cabeza creen que es normal, sin embargo no es así. Si padeces dolores de cabeza repetitivos, aunque sea con una frecuencia mensual, consulta con un especialista en salud. Un quiropráctico te puede ayudar a determinar cuál es el origen de estos dolores y a trabajar con la causa.

Escuchar nuestro cuerpo cuando padece un dolor, nos ayuda no sólo a vivir mejor sino también a evitar que el problema vaya a más.

Dolor de espalda

El dolor de espalda es muy común y puede impedirnos llevar nuestra vida con normalidad. La Quiropráctica puede ayudar a aliviar el dolor y las tensiones alineando correctamente las vértebras. También se ha demostrado que ayuda en caso de escoliosis o de hernias discales.

Dolor en articulaciones

El dolor en las articulaciones puede llegar a impedirnos realizar nuestra vida diaria con normalidad. Una de las principales dolencias que la quiropráctica puede ayudarte a combatir es la artrosis.

Dolor de cuello

Accidentes, golpes, latigazos y malas posturas corporales son algunos de los factores más importantes que pueden afectar a hombros y cuello. La quiropráctica puede ayudar a disminuir la tensión, proporcionando una mejor calidad de vida.

Dolor lumbar o lumbalgia

El dolor en la parte inferior de la espalda, la zona lumbar, afecta a un gran número de personas. La Quiropráctica puede ayudar a aliviar el comúnmente llamado lumbago y otras dolencias como la ciática o las hernias discales.

Otras dolencias

La Quiropráctica ha demostrado ayudar en una amplia variedad de enfermedades como pueden ser la fibromialgía u otro tipo de dolencias no físicas, como son el estrés o la ansiedad.

Casos especiales

En los últimos 50 años la quiropráctica ha avanzado a pasos agigantados en el cuidado de niños, futuras madres, tercera edad y deportistas.

Categories
Español

¿Es El Quiropractico Un Terapista?

Muchas personas piensan que el Quiropractico es un Terapista que solamente tiene una preparación limitada quizás de 6 meses de estudio o algo por lo parecido. Sin embargo este no es el caso ya que el doctor en Quiropractica tiene que estudiar 8 anos para obtener su doctorado en Quiropractica. Luego de graduarse de la escuela Quiropractica tienen que obtener sus exámenes escritos nacionales y por ultimo tienen que sentarse a tomar su revalida en el estado que van a ejercer su profesión.

Ahora el doctor en Quiropractica esta listo para comenzar su jornada como un profesional dentro de la medicina alternativa. El Quiropractico es el único doctor adiestrado en localizar y remover interferencias en la columna vertebral llamadas Subluxaciones Vertebrales. Estas Subluxaciones vertebrales son los que no permiten que el ser humano funcione a su capacidad optima con respecto a su salud.

La salud se define como un estado de armonía entre la parte espiritual, mental y la parte Fisica del ser humano. Cuando existen interferencias al sistema nervioso y la columna vertebral se crea un desbalance interno afectando la salud. Muchos acuden al medico de cabecera para tapar los síntomas que están sintiendo. Pero no se dan de cuenta que cuando se acaba los efectos de los químicos (medicamentos) el dolor y las molestias regresan. Tenemos que identificar que los medicamentos no curan, solamente tapan los síntomas y eventualmente agudizan el dolor.

Nuestros cuerpos tienen internamente la capacidad de funcionar al 100% cuando todos los sistemas se están comunicando libremente con el sistema nervioso. Este se logra fácilmente utilizando la Quiropractica como el vehículo primario para lograr una armonía interna permitiendo que cada persona se mantenga saludable y mantengan una paz mental, espiritual y Fisica. Es tiempo que usted tome prioridad de su salud y busque un doctor en Quiropractica para aumentar su potencial humano y comenzar a vivir una calidad de salud aumentada. No dejes para mañana lo que pueda hacer hoy.   

Categories
FunctionalMedicine

WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE

DR KIMBERLY LEWIS

The Functional Medicine Approach

Functional Medicine is a systems biology–based approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease. Each symptom or differential diagnosis may be one of many contributing to an individual’s illness according to FMI. Org

As the graphic below illustrates, a diagnosis can be the result of more than one cause. For example, depression can be caused by many different factors, including inflammation. Likewise, a cause such as inflammation may lead to a number of different diagnoses, including depression. The precise manifestation of each cause depends on the individual’s genes, environment, and lifestyle, and only treatments that address the right cause will have lasting benefit beyond symptom suppression.

Depression, inflammation, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, and many other conditions can often be managed efficiently and effectively with a functional medicine approach. At our office you will receive an extremely thorough history and evaluation. Many health issues are a tangled web of interlocking vicious cycles and feedback loops. My promise to you we will spend the time and energy and do everything possible to untangle these webs and break these vicious cycles so you can lead the best life possible! Schedule an appointment today and let us see how we can help!

Categories
FunctionalMedicine

The Importance of Sleep

The Importance of Sleep.
Kimberly Lewis October 15, 2020

A hundred years ago when you were sick the Doctor would recommend bed rest. As it turns out sleep is one of the best remedies ever. In todays hustle and bust we never seem to get enough sleep. Sleep is imperative to the health and healing processes. The latest in research shows us that when dealing with illnesses both acute (New) and chronic (Ongoing) that sleep is the one of the most important things in overcoming these health issues. Especially when it comes to autoimmune diseases and immune function.

Let us look at some of the reasons we don not get enough sleep and the reasons why we should.

We can either not fall asleep or we cannot stay asleep or both. Sometimes the reasons are obvious. The neighbor’s dog is barking all night, we are preoccupied by a thought, we are working way too much, or we are excited over an event the next day. These are normal occurrences that happen to us all.

Let us look at the mechanisms when lack of sleep is no longer in the normal category.

We have natural rhythms called circadian rhythms that help to regulate our sleep cycle. When these rhythms are disrupted, we either can not fall asleep or we cannot stay asleep. Often insomnia is caused by undetected problems can be resolved with time proper care. Simple testing can show weather your circadian rhythms are out of cycle. If so thereare programs we can use help you with to bring these cycles back online. Other factors such as reactive hypoglycemia, neuroinflammation, food allergies, sensitivity to EMF and undetected autoimmune disease will also cause fatigue and poor sleep. It is especially important to identify these triggers. The most common cause of insomnia is insulin surges. We tend to eat a high carb diet. Our insulin levels fluctuate throughout the day and every time our blood sugar gets a little low, we eat again. This is quite common and since we are carbohydrate dependent drop in insulin during sleep will cause you to wake up after 5 or five hours Regulating your blood sugar is important for this reason even in non-diabetic patients. On the other hand, lack of sleep can trigger all the above problems and make them worse, especially auto immune diseases. It is important to get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night to maintain optimal health. Properly identifying the causes of sleep issues and creating a custom program to get you back on track is one of the many things we do for you at our office.