ASK THE DOCTOR
All information provided on this web site is intended for educational purposes only.
Please use your discretion and consult with your healthcare practitioner.
Lab tests you might consider with your doctors are those for inflammation. Fibrinogen, High Sensitivity C Reactive Protein, Insulin, and Sedimentation rate are all tests appropriate to your condition. I don’t know that you will want to follow the recommendations of the arthritis specialist you may see. Their course of action is to recommend medications that poison your heart, liver and kidneys as well as irritate your GI tract which is already in trouble. Recently three major drugs prescribed by MD’s: Alleve, Viox and Celebrex have been implicated in causing heart disease in patients taking them.
Without direct doctor to patient contact with you, the best I can do is to recommend you read my book Internal Cleansing or invite you to contact me for a Free Consult regarding your health concerns or call 415-847-3755. There are over 300 pages of useful information in my book to help you. The cost is only $16.99 and it is available at Amazon.com and other bookstores.
.jpg)
Q: ”For some time now I’ve been dealing with constipation, bloating, discomfort, problems with lack of belching, and stiff neck. At the same time a year ago I started to really work out running, lifting nothing major, but a strong pain in my lower back arose. It was not a certain lift or anything, but my abdominal pain got worse like spasm because of the bloating… the little pain in my back in now in my neck upper back and heels. I have not worked out since April this year. So I’ve had enough time to recover but it still hurts a lot. I’ve seen a chiropractor, orthopedic doctor and a physical therapist. Now they’re sending me to an arthritis specialist. They can’t seem to find the problem for the stiffness and pain. I’ve done MRI and x-rays. I have also seen a Gastrologist for my stomach. He fails to run any tests on me..just gives stuff like Miralax and nulev for the pain… but I’ve seen in an article you wrote about the back pain and constipation… do you know what could be wrong with me. My chiropractor thinks that it’s also toxins in my body, but the other doctors do not agree… PLEASE HELP ME! Between the back, neck, upper back, heel pain, bloating, constipation… life is getting hard!!!!”
A: You have a complicated set of symptoms. Questions like how many bowel movements a day do you have, how much water do you drink, what is your diet like, what are your sleep patterns like, etc.? all come to mind.
Q: "How long does it take for a torn meniscus to heal on its own? "
A: That's a good question. It depends on how often it's re-injured. If it is re-injured a lot it will never heal on its own. I saw some research that says that doing exercises and getting care for the knee from a physical therapist or chiropractor who works on you was better than getting surgery. But you have to go to somebody who knows how to work with knees to get those good results. Just doing nothing, it may never heal.
Q: ''I am a 38-year-old male. I want to know if a chiropractor can help a dislocated rib?"
A: That depends how badly it is dislocated. I've helped many people how have had rib subluxations, generally those patients feel pain when they take a deep breath in and after the adjustment they can breathe easily again. But if the bone is severely dislocated, you may need to go to the emergency room to get that fixed immediately or consult with an orthopedic doctor.
Q: "I am a 17-year-old female and I have scoliosis. Does swimming help scoliosis?"
A: In order to minimize stress from scoliosis, it's wise to stay in good shape. Swimming is a great exercise. I would encourage you to vary the types of strokes you do to strengthen all your muscle groups. When I swim, I do all of them that I now exist: the crawl, side stroke, back stroke, breast stroke, and butterfly, because that's the best way to strengthen different muscle groups. I also encourage you to do weight bearing exercise in order to keep your bones strong and healthy. Thanks for your inquiry.
Q: "I am a 35-year-old female. I want to know how do you pop your middle back?"
A: Good question. When I stretch I often get pops. Don't stretch in any direction that causes pain. You could also try putting two tennis balls in a sock and putting them up the part of your spine that hurts while lying down on your back with your knees bent. Then you can push on your feet to push your spine against the balls and you may get your desired effect.
P.S. May I suggest you visit your local chiropractor? They probably do a better job at it :)
Q: ''Can chiropractors help with ankle dislocation?''
A: Oach! Sorry to hear about your troubles. If your ankle is fully dislocated probably best to see an emergency room doctor or orthopedist. After you get it back into place from fully dislocated, chiropractic care will definitely be recommended to help restore join integrity and muscular balance.
Q: ''How long does a pinched nerve in the neck last?''
A: For the rest of your life unless you get it fixed. And fix the reasons that you got it. Want to talk to be about it, here is a link https://my.timetrade.com/book/WL74Q
If you prefer to see a chiropractor near you check out these sites https://calchiro.ce21.com/Directory
https://handsdownbetter.org/find-a-doctor/ CCa
P.S. Good luck with that. If you don't take care of the problem it can lead to nerve damage, that could affect the use of your arm and hand or internal organs and glands.
Q: ''Can massage make a pinched nerve worse?''
A: Yes, that is my experience. May I suggest you find a good local chiropractor https://www.acatoday.org/
Q: ''How do I relieve tension at the base of my skull?''
A: Yes, try the nodding exercise. Tuck your chin slightly, cast your eyes down at a 45-degree angle, and gently nod your chin towards your chest.
Q: ''How long does it take to fix bad posture?''
A: Good question, One patient I suggested she lead with her heart and that immediately improved her posture. Other patients I teach a series of exercises with a styrofoam roll to improve posture, and that can take a couple of weeks to months, depending how frequently they do the exercises I taught them. And for others, it's related to their attitude. If they don't want to engage with the work their posture may never improve.
Q: ''Which shoulder is higher in scoliosis?''
A: That depends which side your shoulder is bending you towards, if you have a slight curve in your rib cage area, that has a concavity of the left side of your shoulder it will mean it's the right for instance. If the curve goes the other way, your other shoulder will be higher.
Q: ''How long does a pinched nerve in the neck last?''
A: For the rest of your life unless you get it fixed. And fix the reasons that you got it. Want to talk to be about it, here is a link https://my.timetrade.com/book/WL74QIf you prefer to see a chiropractor near you check out these sites https://calchiro.ce21.com/Directory https://handsdownbetter.org/find-a-doctor/ CCa P.S. Good luck with that. If you don't take care of the problem it can lead to nerve damage, that could affect the use of your arm and hand or internal organs and glands.
Q: ''I am a 38-year-old male. I want to know if a chiropractor can help a dislocated rib?''
A: That depends how badly it is dislocated. I've helped many people how have had rib subluxations, generally those patients feel pain when they take a deep breath in and after the adjustment they can breathe easily again. But if the bone is severely dislocated, you may need to go to the emergency room to get that fixed immediately or consult with an orthopedic doctor.
Q: ''I am a 17-year-old female and I have scoliosis. Does swimming help scoliosis?''
A: In order to minimize stress from scoliosis, it's wise to stay in good shape. Swimming is a great exercise. I would encourage you to vary the types of strokes you do to strengthen all your muscle groups. When I swim, I do all of them that I now exist: the crawl, side stroke, back stroke, breast stroke, and butterfly, because that's the best way to strengthen different muscle groups. I also encourage you to do weight bearing exercise in order to keep your bones strong and healthy. Thanks for your inquiry.
Q: " Can I exercise with intercostal muscle strain? I am a 31 year old male. I want to know if I can exercise with intercostal muscle strain?"
A: Yes- but carefully. Stay with comfortable stretching and don't attempt anything that starts to feel painful. It must be pain free otherwise you will make the condition worse. You might try putting a length of kinesio tape right over the most painful spot in order to accelerate your healing.
Q: '' How often should I get adjusted by a chiropractor?''
A: Good question, that depends on your particular situation. If someone is in acute pain, it is important to be seen more frequently. Some doctors like to see their patients 3 times a week. In the corrective phase when you are out of pain but still not quite right, perhaps weekly visits are appropriate. And in the maintenance phase my patients choose to see me every 2 to 4 weeks. Some people like to come in only when there is a problem. It all depends what you and your chiropractor feel is best for your particular circumstances.
Q: '' Do you have to take your clothes off for chiropractor?''
A: Not in my office. I did have one chiropractor ask me to take my pants off but I refused, that's a question you might ask before to schedule an appointment. In the past my colleagues have asked patients to put on one of those hospital gowns. I guess the answer is to make you ask when booking.
Q: '' Why does my ankle feel like it needs to pop but won't?''
A: That sounds uncomfortable. Maybe try the alphabet exercise; with your foot in the air start doing stretching with your toes as if you are drawing all the letters of the alphabet, this will give you some relief. Otherwise I suggest to go see your local chiropractor for an adjustment.
Q: '' How do chiropractors and massage therapists work together?''
A: That's a hard question to answer because there are so many different styles of chiropractic and massage. Primarily massage therapists just work on muscles, whereas chiropractors work on aligning the balance of the whole body including your bones. Both are good, it depends on your health and your needs. I guess you'll need to try both for yourself. Some chiropractic clinics have massage therapists providing their service in the same place. Good luck. Sorry I could not be more specific.
Q: '' How should I sleep with neck pain?''
A: Most people sleep with their head cocked up on their side or back, that's bad. Or, they sleep with their head tilted down, lower than the rest of their spine, that's also bad for your neck. Sleep in a neutral position for your neck, meaning straight spine, middle of your ear lined up with the middle of your shoulder. I use a Therapeutica pillow when I sleep, to keep my spine in the best position.
Q: '' Can uneven leg length cause hip pain?''
A: Good question. Think about it for a minute: the short leg has to bear more weight than your longer leg. That puts more pressure on your ankle, knee, and hip on that side. It squashes the nerve root on the other side of your lower back. And requires your shoulders to tilt to compensate for the tilting in your pelvis so you can keep your head relatively level and move forward in space. But not only your joints suffer; the nerves that exit your spine communicate with all of your organs and glands inside your body. The joint misalignments contribute to bad health in the organs and glands fed by the nerves from that part of your spine. See your local chiropractor for best results, you can search here https://calchiro.ce21.com/Directory
https://handsdownbetter.org/find-a-doctor/ CCa
Q: '' Will exercise help achy legs? ''
A: Yes, it may help or make it worse. Go lightly, especially if you have not done much exercise before. Start walking on flat ground first, followed by gentle stretching exercises, for a total of 30 mins.
Good luck and then build from there. If it gets worse, go see your local chiropractor.
Q: " How long should you rest after chiropractor?''
A: Good question. I have heard of chiropractors who do very forceful adjustments to the upper neck, have their patients rest for half an hour after the treatment right there in the office.
I spend 30 min doing non forced adjustments for my patients, so they get nice and rested during my treatments. I suggest they take a short walk to help integrate the beneficial changes we've made.
Perhaps your chiropractor could guide you on this question based on their technique.
Q: '' Is it bad to go to the chiropractor too often?''
A: Good question. It depends. If your ligaments are too loose and you go to your chiropractor (who cracks your bones) there, you could be going too often. Many chiropractors, like me, include a variety of health and wellness options, depending what they offer. I don't see how you could go too often for that.
Q: '' Can a chiropractor help with tingling fingers?''
A: Absolutely yes, the nerves from your fingers come from your neck, there may also be a problem in your shoulder, elbow or wrist. A chiropractor is your best first person to evaluate this issue, especially one who works on extremities (arms and legs). Of course, there may be bigger problems causing the tingling that would require a second medical evaluation. It could also be a nutritional deficiency of vitamin B complex and/or deficiency EPA/DHA.
Q: '' Does chiropractic help rheumatoid arthritis?''
A: Rheumatoid Arthritis is complex genetic and bi chemical problem. Chiropractic care can certainly help you feel more comfortable. If the chiropractor works with nutrition they may be of more help to you. You may be aware that it can result from infection as well. So blood work is always necessary with this condition.
Q: '' Can chiropractic help elbow tendonitis?''
A: Absolutely! Elbow tendonitis is usually a chronic wear and tear problem but can also come from an acute injury. However there could also be an issue in your neck which supplies the nerves to your elbow and / or your shoulder, wrists or hand. There could be a misalignment of the bones in your elbow. As well as imbalance of muscle tone, either weak or too tight, that connects to your elbow. A doctor of chiropractic who practices Applied Kinesiology is best to evaluate and treat this condition.
Wishing you a speedy recovery. You can search here for applied kinesiology in your area https://www.icak.com
Q: '' Can you see a chiropractor for wrist pain?''
A: Absolutely, a chiropractor who works on all the joints on the arms and legs should be able to help you. If you would like to schedule a 15min video appointment with me here https://my.timetrade.com/book/WL74Q . I can coach you on techniques so that you are not aggravating your wrist, plus give you exercises that always work to get rid of my wrist pain and have helped many of my patients too.