Sheehan Chiropractic, serving Medford, Ashland, and Southern Oregon

How Can a Chiropractor Help If My M.D. Can’t?

By Matt Sheehan | August 24, 2010

 A patient of mine gave me a wonderful testimonial the other day, and it went on for 5 minutes or so, at least. I had asked him if he would be willing to write one for me, and he said "Sure!", and stood up and launched on a great impromptu explanation about what he believes chiropractic does for the body. He was  eloquent and sophisticated in his explanation, and I was very impressed that he had developed this grand vision of  the various ways we help people as no one else does. At the end of his speech, he talked about the biggest barriers as he sees it, to his friends, family and aquaintances choosing to come to a chiropractor for help. He said in his experience people often ask "What's he going to do that my doctor can't?" This concern  is a big barrier for people, he says.

 This is a great question, and I answer it in the following way: one must understand that the education undergone by M.D.'s and D.C.'s is very similar in breadth and scope, and differs largely in what area of medicine is specialized in or focused upon.

Medical doctors and osteopaths usually focus on allopathic, internal medicine based on drugs and surgery.

Chiropractors specialize in neuromusculoskeletal (nerves, muscles  joints and bones) medicine. We emphasize finding the cause of orthopedic or nerve/ muscle / bone/ joint problems, and correcting the causes naturally and noninvasively whenever possible.  It's a completely different paradigm than conventional allopathic drugs and surgery medicine, and it also emphasizes personal responsibilty for one's own health, including nutrition, lifestyle, stress level, and preventive care of the nervous system through periodic spinal chiropractic adjustments.

There is a great need for both forms of medicine, as they both play a vital role in healthcare. I happen to believe that chiropractic, acupuncture, clinical nutrition, massage therapy, and naturopathy should be the first line of healthcare, not the “alternative”. If people take better care of their health in a natural, preventative way, their need for allopathic or drugs and surgery  medicine  is much less.

Please help your friends and loved ones understand the answer to this common question; it may save a life, or at least prolong it !

Thanks!

Matt

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Analgesics May Increase the Risk of Hearing Loss In Men

By Matt Sheehan | August 9, 2010

Hearing loss is the number one form of sensory disorder in the U.S., and effects not only the elderly but approximately a third of those age 40 to 49. Even a minimal loss of hearing can significantly decrease one's ability to comprehend speech in a noisy location, or while trying to listen to multiple people carrying on a conversation. This can result in  depression, social isolation, and a decrease in the quality of life, 

An article published in the American Journal of Medicine in March of 2010, entitled "Analgesic Use and the Risk of Hearing Loss In Men" shows a correlation between taking pain relievers and an increased risk of hearing loss in men. Taking aspirin at least twice a week was shown to cause a 33% increase in the incidence of hearing loss in men, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines caused a 61% increase, and acetaminophen caused a 99% increase in hearing loss in men. The effects on women were not studied . Dosage was also not studied. 

I'm now 48 years old myself, and I've definitely noticed a significant decrease in my hearing acuity in the past year or so, when I'm out with friends, trying to hear what they're saying to each other and to me in a noisy restaurant or bar. I'm amazed how frustrating it can be to not be able to understand a conversation. I also notice a decrease even when it's relatively quiet.

This article encourages me  to remind people how risky it can be to use synthetic medication without knowing the risk of side effects. Natural medicine, or "complimentary medicine" as it is more often called these days, including but not limited to chiropractic, naturopathy, acupuncture, herbology, massage, and a variety of other forms of natural healthcare offer us a safer, natural, drug and surgery-free approach to pain relief, healthcare, and wellness care.

A major premise of chiropractic is that the brain and spinal cord control every cell, tissue and  organ in the body,and any nervous system interference along  the spine or elsewhere can seriously decrease one's state of  health, resulting in dis-ease or illness. The chiropractic approach to limiting or eliminating pain is to remove the cause of the pain whenever possible, by eliminating the nervous system interference, and allowing the body to heal itself.  In this role, we're not healers, but healing facilitators. Pain relievers only mask the symptoms temporarily, and do nothing to fix the cause of the symptoms.

Remember to get your spine and nervous system periodically checked for the presence of interference, and help your body to heal itself naturally, and be as healthy as possible. You'll have less pain, and you'll need less medication overall, reducing your risk of side effects like hearing loss, or worse. 

Here's to your health!

Matt Sheehan, D.C.

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N.A.E.T. – Powerful, Natural Allergy and Sensitivity Relief

By Matt Sheehan | April 3, 2009

A patient of mine came in yesterday for an allergy checkup. I originally helped him with multiple sensitivities probably 10 years ago, and he comes in occasionally for tuneups or to eliminate new sensitivities which have sprung up. He gave me the idea to write this article, to let folks know about the great technique I’ve been using for probably 15 years now with great success. I thank our incredible acupuncturist and healer Lori Paiken for teaching me the technique so I could help her with her allergies. That success led me to help many others over the following years.

It’s called N.A.E.T. – Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique. What a mouthful! Sorry. It’s named after Devi Nambudripad, an acupuncturist and chiropractor in L.A. who discovered an acupuncture/acupressure technique that effectively eliminates “electromagnetic incompatibilities” (my term), which seems to be a more accurate descriptor for what we think of as “allergies”. Devi accidentally eliminated a  sensitivity of hers by treating herself with acupuncture while holding on to the thing she was sensitive to. She was so amazed by the result that she began researching the idea over a number of years, and developed quite an effective system.

The basic premise behind NAET is that our body’s electromagnetic fields can react positively or negatively to exposure to the fields of other people or substances, either natural or synthetic. A “negative” reaction in terms of acupuncture meridians and chi would result in a change in the flow of chi through certain meridians, resulting in certain changes in how our bodies function, causing certain symptoms and health challenges. The goal of NAET is to diagnose these negative energetic reactions to substances and correct them by stimulating certain acupuncture points, primarily along the spine, in the presence of the offending substance.

An overly-simplified understanding of an “allergy” is that our bodies react to the presence of a foreign body or substance by our white blood cells releasing histamine, a highly inflammatory chemical which very effectively destroys the offending object, but also causes local inflammation and mucus membrane irritation, especially during allergy season, which we’re heading right into now. We also notice reactions in our bodies to certain foods, chemicals, fabrics, heck, even people. The only problem with this chemical definition is that many folks who know they’re reacting to something often fall through the cracks of conventional skin testing in a dermatologist’s office, which only shows positive if the skin reacts in a short period of time. If the person reacts in a delayed fashion, as in a day or two after exposure, the skin test doesn’t show it, and the patient may leave frustrated, knowing they react to something, but it’s just not showing up on this conventional test. Blood tests often seem to be more helpful, but sometimes even they miss some things people are energetically sensitive to because they’re just not included in the panel being tested, and many of the sensitivities don’t seem to involve these exact chemical pathways tested for in the blood or skin tests. NAET can pick up some of those “sensitivities” (not classical allergies because they don’t seem to involve this chemical reaction) well, and can often eliminate them effectively and without medications, shots, or prolonged avoidance.

The testing part of the technique involves “applied kinesiology” muscle testing, with temporary observable changes in the patient’s muscle strength when exposed to a sample of a sensitivity. We first test a list of 12 “Basics”, which are vials of substances the patient may be sensitive to and which must be treated and eliminated before treatment of other substances can take place.

The treatment aspect of NAET can vary from office to office depending on the training of the practitioner. Acupuncturists will often treat the acupuncture points involved with needles or with an activator gun, and I use manual pressure to stimulate the specific acupuncture points along the spine and extremities, followed by a short period of avoidance of the sensitivity, usually 24 hours or less. The muscle testing is repeated after the treatment to see if there is an observable change in the muscle strength. If the strength of the muscle tested has returned, the treatment is complete for the day.  After several days the patient returns and the treated substance is rechecked with the muscle testing, and if the strength is maintained during re-exposure to the substance, the sensitivity is assumed to be eliminated. The next substance in the basic list that the patient tested sensitive to would then be treated, avoided, and rechecked several days later.

What Dr. Nambudripad discovered in her research and what my experience has also shown to be true is that observed sensitivities to foods and airborn substances are often secondary to sensitivities to other things, such as vitamins and minerals, many of which are in the list of “basics” discussed above. These items would then have to be treated before any other treatments can be done. Often by the time we eliminate sensitivities to these more primary things, the symptoms the patient presented with have disappeared. I had a patient a few years ago who was extremely sensitive to cats. She had a friend who had over 30, count em, 30, cats, and whenever this patient was unfortunate enough to enter her friend’s front door, she quickly felt like her head was going to explode.  She tested very sensitive to cat dander, but we only had to treat 3 or 4 more primary substances before her symptoms abated completely. We never actually had to treat the cat dander itself. The next time she walked into her friend’s house, she noticed no reaction.

The technique is often effective for sensitivities to certain forms of electricity, such as observed reactions to fluorescent lights or electric blankets or computers, as well as sensitivities to fabrics, smoke, many things otherwise untreatable with conventional allopathic therapies. (As an aside here, I want to mention that acupuncture, herbology, clinical nutrition and chiropractic all have very effective track records also with allergy and sensitivity relief and are worth looking into as powerful methods of bringing our bodies back into balance and harmony.)

N.A.E.T. isn’t 100 % effective, but it’s been effective in my experience probably 75% of the time I would say, although I haven’t tried to keep accurate tabs on it. On checking back with patients 6 months and a year or more after treatment, I’ve only found several who found that their symptoms returned over time. Some return on a yearly basis to get rechecked for sensitivities, even in the absence of symptoms, with some noting more energy overall after additional treatments. Usually the patients who experience a return of symptoms over time find relief again with retreating the sensitivity.

Another interesting benefit to NAET which Dr. Nambudripad discovered over the years is it’s effect on alcoholism. She observed that approximately one third of her patients who were alcoholic were found to be sensitive to three critical categories – alcohol itself, as well as B vitamins and sugars. On desensitizing them to these things, she noticed they consistently  experienced a decrease or elimination of their craving for alcohol. This obviously only deals with the alcohol part of the equation and doesn’t touch the emotional/social and other aspects of the alcoholic’s situation we know to be vital to address, but it’s perhaps a vital missing piece worth investigating further. I’ve only worked with one alcoholic with NAET over the years, with positive results, namely an elimination of any craving for alcohol, and an ability to drink   socially with no need to continue drinking. She regained control of her life. I heard from her every six months for a year or so after treatment, and she had maintained her sobriety.

My apologies to our esteemed local acupuncturists for my meager description of the acupuncture aspect of NAET. It was meant as a brief overview only, and the details of Chinese medicine can of course be better explained by them.

Feel free to  give us feedback on articles!

Yours in health,

Matt Sheehan, D.C.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF POSTURE AT YOUR DESK

By Matt Sheehan | March 4, 2009

Looking back over twenty plus years as a chiropractic in Oregon, I realize that a heck of a lot of my time with patients has been spent teaching about proper posture when at a desk. Especially when it’s what we do all..day..long!

Note the attached diagram which demonstrates the many important elements to ideal sitting posture. All of them have proven vital for one patient or another over thee years, and none should be overlooked.

Many times I’ve tried to help someone with chronic neck or arm pain, numbness or spasms, only to fail initially until I (or they) realize that I had overlooked the way they were sitting at work. On correcting that piece, they often come beck in after a week or two and tell me how much less pain they’re in and how much better they feel. They often have also given the handout to a few others in their office, who end up being very appreciative also.

Many times the problem is that the furniture is used not just by the patient, but by a variety of other employees as well. The desk and chair aren’t custom-fitted for the patient’s body, nor for anyone’s, so all have to acomodate to it.

Sometimes bosses are financially able to purchase furniture that’s right for an employee (all the while hoping all the other employees don’t hear about it and want their own custom-fitted furniture) . That’s ideal, but some modifications to present desks and chairs can sometimes make all the difference in the world: A foam wedge cushion on the seat often helps immensely with maintaining one’s low back curve, and subsequently keeping the rest of one’s back straight and unslouched, (Think about how straight your back stays when you kneel on one of those Scandinavian chairs), by keeping one’s knees lower than their hips.

Adding a keyboard drawer under the desktop often makes a huge difference for people who’s keyboards are resting on the desktop and are too high, causing the shoulders to shrug up and cramp, causing sharp, burning pain often within a few minutes.Raising the monitor so the top of the visual portion of the screen is at eye-level sometimes makes a big difference for people who are looking down at the screen too much, causing them to slouch, which causes neck pain, headaches, and decreases breathing by compressing the chest. This can cause decreased oxygenation to the body and brain, so you get sleepy and “dumb”. You’ll stay awake a lot better if your able to breathe more effectively!

Do you still hold your phone cradled against your shoulder while you type or write, or at home – while you make dinner or do the dishes? This is often a big cause of neck and shoulder pain for many people. You may want to try a headset, or at least a cradle that attaches to the back of the phone, if it’s not a cell phone at least. They take up some of the slack between your shoulder and your head, so you don’t have to bring your head over so far ( or shrug your shoulder up so far!)

Many of us spend hours at home on the computer, playing poker or surfing ( you know who you are!), so these desks are just as important to straighten out as our work desks!

I also recommend to all my patients with neck and shoulder issues that they stretch at their desk every half hour to an hour, for a minute or so, to release all the tension that inevitably build in your neck and shoulders whiLe at the computer or desk, even when you’re doing it all the right way. A practical way to implement this is to get a portable alarm and set it to go off every 30 minute s to an hour, and place it across the room if you can, without driving your coworkers crazy (invite them to stretch then too), so that when it goes off every half hour you have to stop what you’re doing and get up to go reset it, thus breaking your attention from your work. Otherwise if you have it sitting right next to you on your desk, if you’re in the middle of something you’ll just smack it off and ignore it !

Give me a call if you have any questions about how to modify your workplace (or home) desk setup. I’d love to help!

Cheers,

Matt

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ON LOW FORCE ADJUSTMENTS, AND WHAT PATIENTS APPRECIATE

By Matt Sheehan | March 4, 2009

I had a new patient in the other day, and she mentioned that she had previously been to chiropractors and had had a great experience with two of them but a horrible experience with one of them, and she has been scared to find a new chiropractor ever since, because of that one bad experience. I reassured her that the techniques I use are primarily “low force” and don’t involve any popping of joints. I told her that if these initial low force adjustments didn’t do the trick, I also utilize conventional adjustments, but again, very gently.

I’ve gotten consistent feeedback from my patients who have been to other chiropractors over the years that my adjustments are on average much more gentle than those of other chiropractors. And granted, this initial gentle approach doesn’t fit the needs or wants of every patient. Some patients need or prefer regular high- velocity “popping” adjustments, and feel more relief if they hear a decisive “pop!”, and don’t feel as if “the bone is back in place” if they don’t feel that. I try to remember to let new patients know that if they have a preference, I’m happy to oblige.

This same patient gave me a gift by telling me what was so precious to her personally about her previous chiropactor, namely tha he had patients call him by his first name, and that he treated her as an equal, and explained things as he went along, in laymen’s terms she could easily understand. He also approached her care from the perspective that they were partners in her healing, he wasn’t the healer and she the healed. It was a sacred journey they took together. That was what she held most dear in her relationship with him, and it was a great reminder to me to never forget that. And I can honestly say I have always practiced by the same values, and i’ve always demanded the same of my physicians and practitioners.

Just thought you might like to know.

Cheers, and happy holidays!

Matt

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YOGA TO THE RESCUE !

By Matt Sheehan | March 4, 2009

February 15th, 2009

Happy belated Valentine’s Day!

I want to let my patients and friends know about a wonderful adjunct to my practice, Tracey Sage, who is a local Ashland therapeutic yoga instructor. Tracey and I have been working on each other lately, and I’ve been able to experience first hand how therapeutic koga differs from regular yoga. Therapeutic yoga is for people who are recovering from an injury or health challenge and need personalized instruction and a custom-designed yoga program to facilitate their healing.

Tracey has been studying various forms of yoga for over twenty years, specifically how to work with the injured. My experience with her was not for a particular injury as much as for postural correction and to design a general stretch routine to prevent me from getting old before my time! I realized during a recent massage that my hips were getting stiff and I hadn’t realized it. I knew I had to get in to see Tracey before it got harder to correct.

Her attention to detail, experience and skill at making folks feel relaxed, comfortable and welcome were all evident, and helped me lose my nervous jitters quickly. I learned just how off my posture had gotten over the years, and Tracey spent the entire first hour session helping me learn to correct it with a few simple poses and exercises. Since that first session a month or so ago we’ve been meeting weekly for an hour each session, and I’ve been learning to a series of easy and fun stretches specifically for my tight areas. And I’m improving! I can tell my posture is getting better, and I love doing the stretches, or “poses” as they’re evidently called in yoga. They feel wonderful, and it feels great to just spend some time only on me, no one else, and not think about anything else for an entire hour!

I can also see how important an addition to my practice Tracey is becoming. I’ve been referring a bunch of my patients to her to take the time to show them in greater detail what I don’t have the time to show them, and with much greater skill and patience then I have. She is also extremely picky and detail oriented, because she knows that the details to a pose make a huge difference in stretching properly.

Tracey will email you a set of the stretches you learn in your sessions, which makes it much easier to remember how to do them. (Remember how hard it is when I don’t have sheets to give you!)

In addition to yoga, Tracey is a very skilled herbalist, and makes custom tinctures and combinations for clients after taking a detailed consultation about your health history and lifestyle. I consulted Tracey about my adrenal fatigue and the herbs she prescribed are helping immensely. I feel like my old (young!) self again.

Tracey can be reached at 541-479-5128, and you can see her website at yogaforjoy.net.

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BOOK REVIEW: THE CHINA STUDY (great nutrition research)

By Matt Sheehan | March 4, 2009

I was given this book by two dear vegan friends recently on my birthday (did any of you remember?). I had heard them quote from it several times in the last year or so, but hadn’t thought to pick it up or inquire about it.

It’s about a multi-decade nutritional study in China, as well as a variety of other studies carried out by Ph.D. T. Colin Campbell. The China study is touted as being “the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted”,and essentially proves that eating a lower -than- average American amount of protein in one’s diet results in a decreased risk of certain forms of cancer, and a lower incidence of a variety of common 1st- world diseases, including diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and obesity.

The study shows that the diet that is most effective for preventing, and in some cases reversing these common health conditions is primarily a plant-based diet.

Very interesting reading for anyone interested in nutrition, longevity, disease prevention, and wellness.

The book is now in paperback, and retails for $16.95. Cheaper copies can be found at the Book Wagon in Ashland, which gives (I think) a 20 % discount off retail price on all new books.

Let us know what you think!

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Holiday Stresses and Your Nervous System

By Matt Sheehan | December 1, 2008

Happy holidays!

It’s a good idea to remember that the holidays are typically filled with the stresses of responsibilities for all the runnning around we do to buy presents prepare menus, invite guests, some we like, some maybe not so much! All these stresses take their toll on our nervous systems over time, and can result in us feeling overwhelmed and worn out.

Take some tiime for yourself this holiday season and come in for a massage and spinal checkup and adjustment. Your nervous system will be nuch more able to handle the stresses hoisted upon it, and you’ll notice the difference in the renewed ease of your busy life.

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