October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

While October is recognized as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the
www.NBCAM.org Web site is a year-round resource for breast cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and the general public. We encourage you to visit our site in October and regularly throughout the year as we add updated breast cancer information and resources.

Q: What is breast cancer?
A: Breast cancer is cancer that forms in tissues of the breast, usually the ducts (tubes that
carry milk to the nipple) and lobules (glands that make milk). It occurs in both men and
women, although male breast cancer is rare.

Q: How many new cases of breast cancer were estimated in the United States in
2008?
A: According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), an estimated 182,460 new cases of
invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed among women in the United States
last year. Approximately 1,990 new cases were expected in men. The ACS also reports
that an estimated 40,930 breast cancer deaths were expected in 2008 (40,480 women, 450
men).

Q: How common is breast cancer in the United States?
A: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, aside from skin cancer.

Q: Is mammography reliable as a screening tool for breast cancer?
A: Mammography screening remains the best available method to detect breast cancer
early. In 1992, the U.S. Congress passed the Mammography Quality Standards Act to
ensure that mammography facilities throughout the country are of high quality and reliable.
To lawfully perform mammography, each facility must prominently display a certificate
issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For more information about mammography screening, please refer to the American Cancer Society’s website at: www.cancer.org

Of course, employing chiropractic in your wellness regiment will help promote health and well being.

Sports injury prevention tips

Whether you’re a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, the goal is the same: You undoubtedly want to lower your chances of incurring an injury while participating in your favorite sport; like hockey. Fortunately, there are some general rules for injury prevention that all apply to all sports, which is important because sports scientists suggest injury rates could be reduced by 25 percent if athletes too appropriate preventative action.

Here are some injury prevention tips you can use to stay healthy:

1. Avoid training when you are tired; you should be strong and ready to exercise.

2. Increase the amount of carbohydrates you consume during heavy training.

3. Match increases in training intensity or frequency with increases in resting. (Rest is how the body regenerates.)

4. Precede any increase in training load with an increase in strengthening.

5. Treat even seemingly minor injuries very carefully to prevent them from becoming a big problem. This is where chiropractic can become key.

6. If you experience pain when training, stop your training session immediately.

7. Never train hard if you are stiff from the previous training session.

8. Pay attention to hydration and nutrition (water before exercise, electrolyte drink during exercise and water after exercise).

9. Use appropriate training surfaces.

10. Check the training and competition areas are clear of hazards.

Chiropractic care is not only exceptional in the treatment of acute and chronic injuries, but is equally successful in preventing future injuries when regular care is received. Simply, chiropractic focuses on the cause of the deficiency or injury and not just the symptoms.

For a free chiropractic consultation with Dr. Gilmore, either call (425) 670-2600 or schedule here.

August is Pain Awareness Month

The month of August is a period to focus our awareness on a condition that affects
individuals, their families and society in general. Chronic pain is considered to be the most costly health
problem in the United States. Increased medical expenses, lost income, lost productivity, compensation
payments, and legal charges are some of the negative economic consequences of chronic pain. Along with
financial ramifications, chronic pain impacts one’s emotional state and relationships.

Pain is an unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pain has both physical and emotional components. The physical part of pain results from nerve stimulation. Pain may be contained to a discrete area, as in an injury, or it can be more diffuse, as in disorders like fibromyalgia. Pain is mediated by specific nerve fibers that carry the pain impulses to the brain where their conscious appreciation may be modified by many factors.
The word “pain” comes from the Latin “poena” meaning a fine, a penalty.

Chiropractic and Integrative Pain Management
Integrative pain medicine is said to be more comprehensive than traditional medicine, because it emphasizes wellness and the healing of the whole person above and beyond the treatment of any specific symptom or disease. It involves the use of safe and effective approaches that are designed to facilitate healing, empowering patients to participate in their own healing process. Integrative medicine acknowledges the complexity of health and illness by identifying numerous causes of disease and multiple interventions based on the physical, biochemical, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of health and disease.
Chiropractic is a health care discipline which emphasizes the inherent recuperative power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs and surgery. The practice of chiropractic focuses on the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function (as coordinated by the nervous system) and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health.”

Because of this intimate relationship, biomechanical and structural problems in the spinal column can irritate parts of the enclosed nervous system. This irritation can result from noxious inflammatory biochemicals released during tissue injury or may result from direct mechanical pressure. In either case, the functioning of the nervous system is negatively influenced as is the functioning of the cells, tissues and organs which are supplied by the affected nerve(s).
In short, because the body’s innate recuperative powers are affected by and integrated through the nervous system, correcting spinal abnormalities which irritate the nervous system can lead to a number of favorable results in patients suffering from various, seemingly non-spinal health conditions.

July is UV Safety Month

While some exposure to sunlight can be enjoyable, too much is
dangerous, causing immediate effects like blistering sunburns,
as well as longer-term problems like eye damage.
Ultraviolet radiation is composed of high-energy rays from
the sun. Long-term exposure to ultraviolet radiation (“sunburn
rays”) may contribute to the development of various eye
disorders, such as: age-related macular degeneration, the
leading cause of vision loss among older Americans; and
cataracts, a major cause of visual impairment and blindness.
Everyone is at risk for eye damage that can lead to vision loss
from exposure to the sun.
It’s important to protect your eyes from acute damage caused
by even a single outing on a very bright day. Intense, excessive
exposure to ultraviolet light reflected off sand, snow or
pavement can damage the eye’s surface. Similar to sunburns,
eye surface burns usually disappear within a couple of days,
but may lead to further complications later in life.
To ensure your eyes are protected, wear sunglasses and a
broad-rimmed hat. When selecting sunglasses, make sure they
block 99 to 100 percent of UV-A and UV-B rays. But don’t be
deceived by color or cost. The ability to block UV light is not
dependent on the darkness of the lens or the price tag.
Also, while out enjoying the sun in the water, remember to
wear swimming goggles whenever you swim. Chlorine can
make your eyes red and puffy, and ponds and lakes may have
bacteria that can get underneath contact lenses and cause
inflammation of the cornea.

Just some helpful tips from the Doctors of Back To Action Chiropractic.

Dr. Jerry Dreessen and Dr. Jason Gilmore

Enjoy Your Summer

How Chiropractic Can Help With Sciatica

Research found on the internet estimates that up to 40 million people suffer with sciatica pain each year. Yet it seems to remain a relative ‘secret’ how effective chiropractic care has been in reducing and often completely eliminating sciatica pain.

Did you know that the sciatic nerve is the longest of all the body’s nerves? In fact it runs from the spinal column near the pelvis… all the way down each leg… and it can be as wide as your thumb! Each sciatic nerve is made up of five smaller nerves that branch into the thigh, knee, calf, ankle, and foot. This is why sciatica can effect people in many different ways! But the bottom line is that sciatica occurs when this nerve is compressed, irritated, or inflamed.

How do you know if you have sciatica pain? Sciatica pain can either be dull and aching… or… it can be a shooting pain down the leg sometimes all the way to the toes. This pain can last for several days or weeks or it can subside for even a few hours. However, someone who has had sciatica for a long period of time will find that the pain localizes in the buttock and thigh. In severe cases it can damage nerves and reflexes or cause the calf muscle to deteriorate, so if you have sciatica pain you do not want to ignore it and “hope it goes away.”

What will a chiropractor do to treat sciatica pain? The first thing we’ll do is take a look at your medical history to identify possible causes. Then a thorough but gentle chiropractic exam is performed. Often we will discover the source of the nerve “blockage” and we’ll use adjustments to fix the problem, often resulting in immediate reduction of the sciatica pain. Sometimes massage therapy is used to reduce muscle spasms as is ultrasound and/or ice therapies. Chiropractic works and is 90% less expensive than the cost of surgery… without having to deal with recovery time.

If a loved one seems to be suffering with sciatica pain and you would like to get them into our office to be examined, or you have concerns about their health, please give us a call @ (425) 670-2600 to schedule an appointment. We’re here to help!

June is Men's Health Month - Include Chiropractic

The purpose of Men's Health Month is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. Chiropractic can be an integral part of this prevention and promotion of wellness.

In short, because the body's innate recuperative powers are affected by and integrated through the nervous system, correcting spinal abnormalities which irritate the nervous system through chiropractic can lead to a number of favorable results in patients suffering from various, seemingly non-spinal health conditions. These conditions can include increased sense of well being and energy, enhanced tissue healing and decreased tissue inflammation.

Alarming statistics show that men's health is at great risk. On average, men die almost 6 years younger than women and suffer higher mortality rates for the top causes of death. The lives of hundreds of thousands of men will continue to be threatened unless immediate action is taken to combat this growing crisis.

Research shows that:

- men do not see physicians for a physical exam nearly as often as women

- men are dying of the top causes of death at higher rates than women

- men are more likely to be uninsured than women

- approximately 30,000 men in the US die each year from prostate cancer.

Find events in your area by checking the Men's Health Calendar at : www.menshealthnetwork.org

Start on the road to promoting men's health by scheduling an appointment today at Back To Action Chiropractic.

Migraines - How Chiropractic Can Help With Headaches

Ouch, Another Migraine! Here’s what you can do about your headache pain…

Did you know that research has shown that many headaches are caused by irritation of the nerves in the neck? It’s true. When the pain is pulsating in your head, it sure doesn’t seem like it’s because of what is going on in your neck.

Why Am I Getting These Darned Headaches?

Answer: We have actually found that your nerve irritation is the result of a previous injury that the patient was unaware of or something that occurred so long ago they had forgotten about. What is really interesting is how fragile the neck can be and how easy it is to have problems result from that area. For example, since the link between the head and the rest of the body is your neck, the neck is vulnerable to even slight jars which may cause a misalignment of the vertebrae in the neck. Now imagine if your car were to be rear-ended. This is why whiplash can occur in accidents in which the vehicles were only going 5-miles per hour. Numerous studies have proven this to be in fact quite common.

So why are you getting headaches?

Picture a traffic jam during rush hour. All those cars trying to travel down the same expressway simultaneously. The same thing is happening in your neck. Since the nerves and blood vessels pass through small openings between these vertebrae, a misalignment can substantially reduce the amount of blood and nerve impulses going to your face and brain.

Thus, the headaches. Not all headaches are caused by neck problems. Some are due to lack of sleep or excessive “partying.” However if you get frequent headaches, it’s possible that chiropractic can help you.

A good rule of thumb is if you experience headaches more than twice a week, we’d suggest having your condition looked into further because chances are it can be successfully addressed. We’re here to help!

Dr. Jerry Dreessen and Dr. Jason Gilmore