My Blog

Posts for: October, 2017

More great research/news in the chiropractic world with a recent study published in the Journal of Manual and Phsyiological Therapeutics!

Epidural injections, a more aggressive form of treatment for pain due to disc injury, are steroidal injection mixtures meant to reduce pain. While sometimes effective at offering short-term pain relief, they don't address the root cause of the pain, and often actually weaken the ligaments and structures in the area of injection long-term.

Holistic chiropractic kinesiology is a viable and effective alternative to steroidal injections and surgery. Oftentimes, it is a combination of factors contributing to the disc injury and pain, and all must be addressed for true, long-lasting resolution of the pain. This means using our tools of applied kinesiology muscle testing and chiropractic adjustments to address musculoskeletal injuries and imbalances contributing to the problem, along with other factors such as organ system dysfunction (especially the intestinal system and ileocecal valve, which can cause discs to retain more fluid and bulge/herniate more), mental/emotional stressors, injury memory in the body, nutrient deficiencies, and so much more. With chiropractic kinesiology, we can identify all contributors and address them as indicated by the body! 

October is Chiropractic Health Month in the State of Maryland! Thank you Maryland!

Chiropractors focus on the brain/nervous system and musculoskeletal system and their affects on general health and overall function. Chiropractic is a hands-on, drug-free, and holistic approach to health care. It should be considered as one of the first lines of conservative care for any and all health concerns. 

We can't wait to get back in the office tomorrow, Monday the 23rd for another week of amazing patients and healing!


My patients Adam and Serena both paid me a visit yesterday, and we made it a chiropractic family affair! 

Adam comes in for holistic chiropractic treatments every few weeks because he travels weekly for his job. This means he is on flights every week. As Adam knows, travel, particularly flying, while it can be enjoyable, is stressful on the body in different ways. Flying also tends to dehydrate the body, leaving us prone to health issues such as headaches, fatigue, spinal misalignments, and more.

Thanks to Adam for being proactive with his health, and for also bringing in his 3 year old daughter Serena for her tune up! There is no age too young to begin chiropractic. In fact, the sooner the better. We have supported Serena's nervous system and musculoskeletal system during some of the most important years of her life! During the first 6 years of life, we hit important neurological milestones. Chiropractic care aids in optimal development. 

Thanks to Adam and Serena, and we look forward to seeing you next time!


I usually reserve Sundays as my aerobic workout days, and this often means heading outside for a moderate jog on the Capital Crescent trail! I thought I'd take the opportunity to post about aerobic vs. anaerobic exercise.
Aerobic exercise increases the use of oxygen throughout the body as the body burns fat. Anaerobic exercise gains its energy from sugar and will likely not raise metabolism.
True aerobic exercise must be done in a sustained heart rate zone, meaning your heart rate does not drop below or raise above a certain range for the entire duration of the exercise ( I usually shoot for 30-40 minutes in the zone). Therefore, true aerobic exercise is often jogging, or sustained swimming or biking (no breaks where heart rate can drop or bursts where it can raise too high). Anaerobic exercise covers everything else- weight lifting, soccer, basketball and other sports, yoga, pilates, etc.
Not only is exercise an important part of maintaining proper body composition, but aerobic exercise in particular helps us stabilize our blood sugar levels. Most people tend to get more anaerobic exercise than true aerobic exercise. When people want to drop fat, and are exercising, but are not happy with their results, one reason for this could be improper aerobic exercise.
So how do you properly aerobically exercise? We have Dr. Phil Maffetone to thank for this formula! He found that the following heart rate zone formula not only puts you in a fat-burning zone, but is safer than other heart rate zone formulas. The formula is:
180-your age-10
So, for example, me being 31 years old, I want to stay in a heart rate zone of 139-149 bpm for the entire duration of my run. I slowed down to keep my heart rate from going above this zone when I took this picture (it gave me a good opportunity to take a photo).
Seem low to you? Yes, exercise in this zone should be less intense than you would expect or would normally do when you work out. The entire goal is to continue to train in this true aerobic zone, and over time, you will observe that you are able to run, swim, or bike farther faster but remain in this zone. This is what it means to become truly conditioned! You can observe your health change as your aerobic capacity increases.
Studies found that athletes performing aerobically in higher heart rate zones, while also becoming conditioned, were suffering more injuries or health issues in the long run. This is a safer, yet accurate and efficient, way to aerobically train.
Exercise is meant to be restorative and health promoting. Often, when we push ourselves too hard, and our heart rate zones higher, we are just adding stress to our already burdened bodies. Exercise should leave us feeling wonderfully energized.
Now join me in starting to aerobically exercise today!

Many of my patients have heard me say that chiropractic adjustments and other physical work we do on the body is very stimulating to the brain and nervous system. Well, what does this exactly mean? I've found a picture that will hopefully give you all a nice, clear visual of what that means for your body and for your health!

According to Nobel prize winner Dr. Roger Sperry, 90% of stimulation and input to the brain is generated by movement of the spine. In the below picture, we see the homunculus of the brain. It is the portion of the brain that is responsible for both receiving signals and sending out signals to the various parts of the body. The areas of the body that correspond to the different parts of the homunculus of the brain are shown. 

For example, if there is a misalignment in the right foot, input to the brain in the area of the foot from the right foot would be decreased. Decreased input to the brain=not good. When we correct the misalignment in the foot, we restore input to that area of the brain and the brain literally lights up upon the patient receiving the chiropractic adjustment. This then improves brain-body communication in both directions. 

As a holistic chiropractor, not only do I check and adjust spinal misalignments, but I also always check the jaw and extremities as well (hands, feet, elbows, etc). If you look at the map of the body on the brain homunculus, you can see what a large portion of it is covered by the head/mouth/haw and feet and hands. This reinforces the importance of checking the entire body, not just the spine, for dysfunction and/or misalignments! 

Keep your brain and nervous system functioning at its best with holistic chiropractic kinesiology.