The combination of pain, stress, frequent caffeine consumption, and other factors lead to a hard-to-break cycle. When you’re in pain and don’t sleep, you drink more coffee. The caffeine keeps you awake and then you worry about not sleeping, which causes additional stress. And the circle goes around and around.

It takes an external intervention to break these kinds of cycles.

Treating the Pain That Keeps You Awake

The dangers of opioids and even some over-the-counter pain medications are well documented. Finding relief from chronic pain can leave you frustrated.

Medications can not heal the source of your musculoskeletal pain. A pill will not realign your vertebrae or correct a tilted pelvis.

Chiropractic adjustments, however, can.

If you treat the underlying cause of chronic low back or shoulder pain, you can find long-term relief. Regular chiropractic care improves your sleep.

Why Sleep is So Important

The deepest level of the sleep cycle, stage four, is when the body restores energy levels, heals torn muscles, balances hormones, strengthens the immune system, and quite literally keeps the mind healthy and sane. It is during this stage that melatonin is produced.

Interruptions to this stage of sleep lead to long-term health problems. Some studies have linked a higher incidence of heart disease and even diabetes to patients who have chronic insomnia. Sleep deprivation can lead to brain and thinking difficulties, make you more prone to injuries, and in extreme cases, death.

Natural Remedies

In addition to regular chiropractic visits to address the underlying source of your pain, there are some natural remedies that can improve your sleep.

Turmeric for Pain Relief

The chemical called “curcumin” found in turmeric dramatically reduces inflammation and pain by inhibiting certain enzymes that can cause muscle damage. You should be careful about taking “curcumin” extracts, as these commercially available products are often hard for the body to absorb and require massive doses to be effective. For most consistent results, a clinically studied extract called BCM-95 is blended with turmeric essential oil for improved absorption and is recommended.

Boswellia for Pain Relief

This is a perfect partner to curcumin. It blocks inflammation and has the potential to stop joint damage due to osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

A recent study examined a curcumin-boswellia combination versus the prescription medication, Celebrex, in patients with osteoarthritis. It found that nearly 65% of patients taking the herbs improved their pain levels dramatically, compared to 35% with Celebrex.

Melatonin Supplements for Improving Sleep

Taking a melatonin supplement can encourage better sleep, but only if you take it regularly and consistently. There are some natural botanicals that contain melatonin, cherry extract, for example, but most patients opt for an over-the-counter product from their local health food store.

Speedy Recovery

Helping your body heal itself through holistic chiropractic care is our mission. By addressing the source of your back pain with deep tissue massage and chiropractic adjustments, we can quickly help you break the pain-stress cycle that keeps you awake at night. Your sleep will be better after a visit to our chiropractic office.

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Recent studies have shown that patients suffering from migraine headaches are finding relief without the use of prescription medications through regular chiropractic visits.

These studies show that chiropractic services are the only non-drug treatment plan to significantly reduce the frequency and severity of these debilitating headaches.

What is a Migraine?

A migraine headache begins with a constriction of the blood vessels leading into one half of the brain. This constriction generally does not cause pain, however, in the second stage, the constricted vessels dilate and flood the brain with blood. This flood increases the pressure in the blood vessels, causing excruciating pain.

Who Gets Them?

Around 28 million people in the US have been diagnosed with migraines. Women tend to get them more often than men (18% of women, versus 6% of men). There is evidence that suggests that there is a genetic component to the condition, as it appears to run in families.

Migraine headaches are responsible for over $50 billion in lost wages and medical expenses every year.

Migraine Symptoms

Common symptoms of migraine headaches can include:

• Severe, stabbing or throbbing pain, usually located on one particular side of the head lasting anywhere from four to 72 hours.
• Visual disturbances, including blurry vision, tunnel views, and haloing.
• Nausea and/or vomiting.
• Sensitivity to sound, light, touch, and smell.
• Tingling or numbness in the arms, legs, or face.

How can chiropractic care help reduce the frequency and severity of migraine attacks?

An article published in the European Journal of Neurology reported a 17-month study including 104 migraine patients who suffered at least one attack per month.

The study segmented these patients in three groups:

• Group one received standard prescription medication treatment
• Group two received chiropractic spinal adjustments and manipulation
• Group three received placebo manipulation

The study lasted three months with a one-month pre-trial examination period, and follow ups at three, six, and 12 months after.

Findings

All three groups initially saw a reduced number of migraine days from the pre-trial period to the end of the three month treatment study. Participants in the second group continued to experience a reduced number of attacks throughout the follow up period. Additionally, the duration of attacks was significantly reduced in comparison to the medication control group.

April 2019 Headache Study

Another study published in the April 2019 issue of Headache performed a meta-analysis of six small studies which included 677 patients, of whom 75% were female.

These individual studies ranged from two to six months and examined the number of migraine days and level of pain/intensity and disability.

This aggregate study concluded that spinal manipulation may reduce the number of migraine days and the level of pain/intensity. It suggested that further large scale studies should be pursued to reach a definitive conclusion.

Chiropractic Can Help

There is no need for you to suffer the devastating pain and disruption to your life that comes with migraine headaches. This research shows that regular spinal manipulation and adjustments can reduce the frequency of your migraine attacks, as well as the pain level when you do feel an attack coming on.

References

1. Migraine Fact Sheet. http://www.migraineresearchfoundation.org/fact-sheet.html. Accessed July 14, 2019.
2. Chaibi A, Benth JŠ, Tuchin PJ, Russell MB. Chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine: A three-armed, single-blinded, placebo, randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Neurology. 2017;24(1):143-153.
3. Rist PM, Hernandez A, Bernstein C, et al. The impact of spinal manipulation on migraine pain and disability: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Headache. 2019 Apr;59(4):532-542.

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The goal of CST is to normalize the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) along the entire spine. This restores the body’s natural ability to heal from illness or injury.

CSF bathes the brain and spinal cord, providing a route for the immune system to deliver nutrients to these vital structures. It also protects them from injury.

In addition to the physical benefits, craniosacral therapy often provides emotional stress relief.

Patients often seek this type of treatment for conditions including:

• Neck pain
• Migraines
• Insomnia (difficulty sleeping)
• Chronic sinus problems
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Depression
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Temporal-Mandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ)

Cranial-sacral therapy is a great choice for patients who can not tolerate other massage styles or chiropractic adjustments.

CST requires a professional, practiced hand to feel the subtle ebb and flow, or “pulse,” of fluid in the spinal column and remove blockages.

If you are new to chiropractic treatment, CST could be a wise choice as an introduction to our office and highly skilled staff.

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Therapeutic activities cover a wide range of functional tasks like bending, lifting, catching, pushing, pulling, throwing, squatting etc. Some other activities like cooking, gardening, painting, drawing, singing, listening to music of person’s choice, playing old video tapes of close family members, walking and light exercise also comes under Therapeutic Activities.

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The human body has to perform an amazing number of movements every day. If your brain had to consciously think about each of these movements every time you made them, there would be little time to remember other tasks, like making a chiropractic appointment.

The body has a system called, “proprioception,” that makes common movements automatic. For example, this system makes it possible for you to walk up different stair heights without thinking about exactly how far you must lift your knee to reach the next step. This system also makes it possible to move your water glass exactly to the coaster on the coffee table or to properly lower yourself into your favorite chair.

When a muscle or joint sustains an injury or otherwise becomes misaligned, these automatic movements become painful so the body “relearns” the motions. Over time, the modified movements become the new normal, even after the injury has healed. This can keep a joint misaligned and re-injure the muscles causing a never-ending cycle of healing and injury.

Who Can Benefit from Neuromuscular Reeducation?

Neuromuscular Reeducation is especially beneficial to:

• Anyone who has suffered an injury to their back, neck, or spine due to
  • Car accidents
  • Falls
  • Sports
• Patients with chronic neurologic illnesses, such as
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
• Professional athletes

When you come to your appointment in our Beverly Hills office, through a series of chiropractic adjustments, massage, and stretching exercises, we can retrain your body to perform movements the proper way. This can break the re-injury cycle and lead to long term better health.

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ART identifies, isolates, and targets the affected area to break up scar tissue. This promotes blood flow and faster healing of injuries. Active Release Technique can be used to treat problems with your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves.

Some of the conditions that are treated with ART:

• headaches,
• plantar fasciitis,
• sciatica,
• shin splints,
• tennis elbow

ART works by breaking up adhesions, dense collections of scar tissue that form when muscles and/or connective tissues are injured. When this scar tissue develops between your muscles it limits motion, causing pain and stiffness in your muscles and joints.

We use active release techniques during chiropractic appointments to restore proper movement to joints and treat pain. Being seen in our office at the first sign of pain can help prevent the development of scar tissue before it becomes a long-term problem.

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We can use certain vibration frequencies generated by a small hand-held machine to stimulate your muscles and promote the realignment of the fibers in your muscles and scar tissue. This machine also activates the Tonic Vibration Reflex, a nervous system reaction that relaxes muscles and reduces stress.

What Does a Rapid Release Technique Feel Like?

The machine produces very fast vibrations that can create a “tingly” feeling in your muscles. It is a professional version of the home wand massagers that you may have used on yourself.

Most patients experience pain relief and relaxation in the affected muscles within five minutes of treatment.

Who Benefits from RRT?

Patients who have suffered injuries to their extremities are especially benefited by rapid release techniques. It is good for:

• Ankle sprains,
• Torn ligaments in your knee,
• Rotator cuff injuries,
• Any joint dislocation.

Since it is easier to promote the proper alignment of scar tissue fibers while they are being formed than it is to realign existing fibers, seeking treatment immediately after an injury will lead to better long term results. Scar tissue begins to form once the inflammation in an injury begins to recede. This usually happens three to five days following the initial injury.

Rapid Release Techniques are most effective when used in addition to other therapies, such as massage, chiropractic adjustment, and electrical muscle stimulation.

You should make a chiropractic appointment in Beverly Hills three to five days after an injury to begin a path to proper healing. We have many years of experience working with elite athletes and personal injury cases. We can guide you through the process of restoring natural, pain-free movement and recovery using a wide variety of treatments, using holistic practices.

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Going to the Chiropractor is a new experience for many of us. Maybe we’ve heard through a friend or have done some research online. It’s possible that you are just fed up with living in pain and it’s time to do something about it. In either case, your first visit to the chiropractor will really be about getting to know the chiropractor and discussing your history, current condition and goals.

As with any doctor’s visit, you’ll start by finishing some new patient paperwork. Upon meeting with the doctor, you’ll discuss your concerns and expectations as well as have the chance to ask any questions you may have. We will perform a physical examination and most likely take a few x-rays to see what your current state is. Once this is complete, we’ll take a look at the overall results of our conversation and the exams. Together, we’ll come up with a plan of action which will begin when you are completely satisfied and ready to move forward.

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Pain along the spinal column in your neck or back is usually caused by subluxations, or misalignments of your vertebrae. A small misalignment can cause pain by causing pressure on nerves. Left untreated, these subluxations can cause muscle spasms and increasing pain. Chiropractic adjustments properly align your spine so that pressure on joints and nerves is released. It is a direct treatment for the cause of the pain, not a temporary relief like pain relievers or massage. If you are experiencing back or neck pain visit us today.

Headaches

Many people believe that headaches are caused by loud noise, being tired, or being stressed. While these are all factors that can lead to headaches, the direct cause is tightness in the neck and shoulders. The tightness can cause misalignments in the vertebrae of your neck, resulting in pain. 80% of all headaches originate from the neck. With a typical cervicogenic (neck origin) headache, a person usually feels pain starting at the base of the skull which radiates into the temples, eyeballs, and forehead. Massage of the neck and shoulder muscles can release tension, and a chiropractic adjustment can realign the vertebrae in your neck. Chiropractic can help eliminate the cause of your headaches rather than offering a temporary relief from the symptoms.

Sciatica

Sciatica is a condition that results when the sciatic nerve becomes irritated. Bulging discs, spinal subluxations, and muscle spasms can all cause increased pressure on the sciatic nerve. When this happens it causes pain, numbness, and weakness in the lower back and leg. To properly treat sciatica the cause of the condition needs to be diagnosed and properly treated. Your chiropractor can help you do this.

Pinched Nerve

When a nerve is squeezed or compressed it is called a “pinched nerve”. This can be caused by spinal misalignments, bulging or herniated discs, or other factors. The increased pressure on the nerve causes inflammation, pain, and sometimes muscle spasms. The pressure on the nerve must be relieved in order to alleviate the pain. An examination can reveal the cause of the pain, and an adjustment can relieve the pain by properly aligning the spine and addressing the cause of the pain.

Disc Problems

Intervertebral discs are positioned between the vertebrae in the spine. The outside of a disc is made from cartilage, and in the center is a jelly like solution. These discs serve many purposes, including allowing movement of the spine, creating space between the vertebrae, and acting as shock absorbers. The gelatinous middle allows the disc to compress and expand based on impact and movement. Trauma to the spine can cause the discs to herniated, bulge, become displaced (slipped disc), or even rupture. Trauma or direct injury to the area is not the only cause, however. As we get older, the discs can begin to weaken and dehydrate. These conditions can put pressure on the nerves around the spine and cause pain.

If you suffer from one of these injuries you should see a chiropractor. Surgery is risky, expensive, and requires recovery time. In many cases, you can experience relief from these conditions through chiropractic. By properly aligning the spine, pressure can be relieved on nerves and on the discs themselves. This will reduce and hopefully eliminate your pain and discomfort and allow you to live a normal lifestyle.

Whiplash

Whiplash is a common injury for people involved in car collisions. When a car is struck from behind or collides with another object, it causes the neck to snap back and forth violently. This causes the muscles and ligaments to overextend, leading to strains and/or tears. This is referred to as soft tissue damage, and can cause stiffness and soreness. Whiplash can also cause structural damage such as misaligned vertebrae, herniated, bulging or ruptured discs, or nerve damage due to the overextension from the violent movement.

Chiropractic can help with both types of injuries. Adjustments and alignments can be performed specifically for those who have been in car accidents and suffered from whiplash. The pressure on the discs and nerves is released when the spine is returned to its proper alignment. Chiropractic massage can be used to help relieve the pain and discomfort from soft tissue injuries. If you have been in a car accident, schedule an appointment with us before relying on pain medications and surgery.

Osteoarthritis

Arthritis is a condition that is caused by the wearing down of the cartilage between joints. Some of the major joints that are affected are the knees, hips, back, neck, and hands/wrist. Arthritis can be painful and can cause the affected areas to not function properly. Arthritis in one area can cause arthritis or other problems in a different joint. For instance, if you have arthritis in your left knee, you may compensate for this by putting more pressure on your right side, leading to right hip problems.

Pain killers can cause temporary relief from pain and discomfort, but it is not a long term solution. Chiropractic can alleviate pain by releasing pressure on the nervous system with proper alignment. It can also restore proper joint movement, helping to ensure that you use proper motion so that you do not cause injury to other parts of your body. We are not concerned strictly with the affected area, but rather the body as a whole. We aim to restore and maintain proper movement and functionality to increase your overall well being.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

This condition is most commonly associated with people who are constantly using a computer. Typing is a motion that, when performed repetitively and with poor posture, can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. Symptoms include pain, numbness, weakness, or a burning sensation. The nerves in the fingertips travel through the wrist, up the arm, and into the neck. The spine is the center of the nervous system, and the pain in your hands and wrists can be relieved by your chiropractor with concentrated spinal and joint adjustments.

Allergies

Chiropractic can help reduce the severity and the frequency of your allergies. Chiropractic does not work like an anti-histamine as a direct, short term relief from allergies. Chiropractic allows your body to be better equipped to fight against allergies.

Allergies are a reaction by your immune system to an allergen (substances that normally have no effect on people) resulting in sneezing, coughing, congestion, hives, rashes, and in severe cases, seizure and anaphylactic shock. These symptoms are caused by the histamines your immune system creates in an attempt to protect your body against the allergen.

When your spine is misaligned it can impinge on the nervous system in your body. Studies have shown that the nervous system has an effect on the functionality of your immune system. When your nervous system is under stress and not functioning properly, your immune system cannot work at an optimal level. Chiropractors work with the nervous system by aligning the spine to relieve any stress on nerves. This allows the immune system to work at a higher level, making it easier to fight off infections while recognizing allergens. When your immune system recognizes allergens, it will not overreact to them, or at least not react as severely to them.

If you suffer from allergies, chiropractic can help you find relief. Schedule an appointment today.

Joint Dysfunction

Joint dysfunction occurs when joints become stiff and full movement is restricted. It can be caused by an injury, poor posture, overuse/underuse of a joint, muscle imbalance, as well as other factors. Like arthritis, joint dysfunction can cause pain in the joint and the surrounding muscles, and can also cause problems in other parts of the body due to overcompensation.

One common form of joint dysfunction is sacroiliac joint dysfunction, which occurs where the base of the spine meets the pelvis. It causes low back pain and prohibits movement. This condition is often misdiagnosed because the symptoms are similar to sciatica or a herniated disc.

Your chiropractor can properly diagnose this condition and provide relief. Using specific adjustments for the affected joint can return proper mobility and relieve pain. If you have joint pain, visit us for relief.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a condition that we still do not know much about. There is no specific known cause, and it could be brought on by many different factors. The main symptom of fibromyalgia is chronic pain throughout the body, mainly located in joints. The pain may be achy, sharp, radiating, burning, or shooting and it may be mild or severe. Fibromyalgia has also been known to bring on other conditions like trouble sleeping, headaches, depression, and anxiety.

While there is no known cure for fibromyalgia, chiropractic treatment can help to uncover what may be causing the pain and also provide relief for the pain. The cause of fibromyalgia could be physical, mental, or emotional, so a full examination will be performed. Adjustments and chiropractic massage can be used to relieve pain from the affected areas. The added effects of chiropractic treatment such as increased energy levels, better circulation, and a stronger immune system can also help to fight the effects of fibromyalgia. If you are experiencing symptoms of fibromyalgia give us a call to schedule a consultation so we can establish a plan to start you on your road to recovery.

Maintenance Care

We have discussed many conditions that can be relieved through chiropractic. The best way to treat these conditions is to prevent them before they even start. Regular chiropractic visits can help to prevent physical problems and injuries from occurring. Other potential benefits of regular chiropractic visits are increased flexibility and mobility, higher level of energy, improved posture, more effective immune system, better circulation, and an overall better feeling of well-being.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15965403?dopt=Abstract

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Facility

We are proud to provide a state-of-the-art facility for the highest quality chiropractic care available. It is one of our top priorities to protect the well-being of our valued patients. We are confident that you will feel right at home in our office as we welcome all patients as if they were family.

Appointments

If you would like to make an appointment, please contact our office by phone or email. Our office facilitates communications and emergency calls and appointments are available and welcome, especially for new patients seeking help.

Financial

We will be more than happy to submit all insurance forms for you and help you recover the most from your benefits. We will do everything we can to help you afford the treatment you need and want. Forms of payment accepted by the office are check, cash, or any major credit card.

Cancellation

If you are unable to keep an appointment, we ask that you kindly provide us with at least 24 hours notice. We ask for this advance notice so that we can offer this appointment to another patient. A fee may be charged if a patient does not show up for an appointment without sufficient notice.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for choosing our practice for your chiropractic care.

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