Health-E-News July 2017
empowering you to optimal health

Resolution of loss of smell and taste of 64 year old woman

Chiropractic is known to helps some people with rather unique health challenges, and here is such a case:

Anosmia is described as loss of smell and ageusia is described the loss of taste. One of the most common causes of smell and taste disorder is a previous injury to the head and/or neck. The olfactory system and gustatory system are responsible for providing the sense of smell and taste Although the loss of either sense is not life threatening, it can have a significant impact on the quality of life.

In this case study, a 64 year old woman is presented to chiropractic care with complaints of neck pain, right sided knee pain, anosmia and aguesia. The patient reported having anosmia and ageuisa for 9 months prior to the visit. The chiropractic examination revealed asymmetry and decreased range of motion in the cervical spine. The patient care plan consisted of upper cervical adjustments for three months.

After each adjustment, there was no report of adverse symptoms other than mild soreness in the area of the correction. The patient noted that improvements and positive changes throughout the course of care. By the third month the patient noted the anosmia and ageusia had completely resolved.

This case study shows the successful resolution of anosmia and aguesia following upper cervical chiropractic care.

Blom, G. (2014). Resolution of Anosmia and Ageusia Following Knee Chest Upper Cervical Specific Chiropractic Care: A Case Report. Journal of Upper Cervical– Chiropractic4 (1)

If you or a loved one suffers from the loss of smell (anosmia) or taste (ageusia), share this study with them and let them know chiropractic can help.

Which Foods Contain the Most and Least Pesticides?

Conventionally grown, non-organic fruits and vegetables almost always contain pesticides. Many people have switched to an all-organic or nearly all-organic diet to avoid putting these toxic chemicals in their body. However, eating organic isn’t always easy.

Sometimes, it’s hard to find your favorite fruits and vegetables in the organic form. Other times, it’s hard to rationalize spending the higher price for the organic item. Here’s a look at the fruits and vegetables with the highest amount of pesticides and the lowest amount of pesticides when grown conventionally.

Highest Levels of Pesticides

The foods on this list should be avoided at all cost, unless bought organic. These fruits and vegetables contain the highest levels of pesticides. Every year, the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit advocate for the environment, publishes a list of the foods containing the highest levels of pesticides. This year’s list includes:

Strawberries
Celery
Peaches
Grapes
Cherries
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Apples
Nectarines
Cherries
Sweet Bell Peppers

Strawberries may be the worst on the list. An article published on the EWG website stated, “Nearly all strawberry samples – 98 percent – tested by federal officials had detectable pesticide residues. Forty percent had residues of 10 or more pesticides and some had residues of 17 different pesticides.”

Lowest Levels of Pesticides

The foods with the lowest levels of pesticides were also published as a list by EWG. This list contains foods testing positive for four or less types of pesticide and many for one or less. The list includes:

Avocados
Pineapples
Sweet Peas (frozen)
Mango
Kiwi
Asparagus
Onion
Sweet Corn
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Papaya
Honeydew Melon
Eggplant
Grapefruit
Cantaloupe

All of these foods are relatively safe to buy in their conventional form.

Harm of Pesticides

Pesticides have been linked to many issues in the human body. Remember, these are poisons used to kill bugs and other pests. If you were to buy a pesticide for your own garden, you’d quickly realize these products are littered with warnings.

Pesticides may cause many illnesses in humans. They have been linked to headaches, nausea, reproductive harm, endocrine disruption and even cancer. Avoiding foods laced with pesticides is one of the best ways to keep your body clean and healthy.

Using this List for your Diet

The best way to incorporate this list of foods into your diet, if you’re trying to eat organically, is to print it out and take it grocery shopping with you. If the food is listed on the high pesticide list only buy it in the organic form. If it’s on the low pesticide list, buy it in either the organic or conventional form.

This list will also become very handy when you create your grocery list. If you don’t want to refer to the list at the grocery store, simply mark an “O” next to the items you MUST buy in organic form. This will give you a quick reference at the store to ensure you’re not buying produce covered in poison.

Chiropractic helps those with Fibromyalgia

If you or a loved one suffers from fibromyalgia, chiropractic care may be right for you. Fibromyalgia is the most common cause of widespread pain. Women are more 10 to 20 times more likely to have fibromyalgia than men. Fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic diffuse pain that is longer than 3 months accompanied by 11 of 18 soft tissue tender points. The condition is frequently associated with stiffness, fatigue, lack of sleep, paresthesia, headaches, dysmenorrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome. The treatments of the condition are unknown. However some treatment plans have included: prescription of low-dose antidepressant medications, light aerobic exercise and cognitive behavioural therapy.

In this case study, a 64 year old female is presented to chiropractic care with previous diagnosis of fibromyalgia. The woman had been diagnosed 6 years prior to presentation. Other complaints included sleep apnea, loss of coordination, glaucoma, and degenerative disk disease. She also had state complaints of arthritis, depressed, photophobia, indigestion, changes in her bowel habits, frequent urination, sinusitis, allergies, muscle pain and high cholesterol and hypertension. She could not walk long distances without assistance and described her neck and upper back pain as moderate. She described the low back pain as severe and shoulder pain as mild.

The patient’s care plan consisted of 3 visits a week for one month and then 2 visits a week for two months. At the first reassessment, the patient has state that her neck, shoulder, middle back pain had improved as well as her eye sight. During her second reassessment, she reported having much more energy and strength as she was able to stand and walk for a longer period of time with no pain. The patient is still currently under care measures of the patient’s progress and improvements and still being monitored.

The progress of this case study shows an improvement of a patients suffering from fibromyalgia with upper cervical chiropractic care.

Bennett, C. (2012). Improvement in a Patient with Fibromyalgia Following Knee Upper Cervical Specific Care: A Case Report. Journal Of Pediatric Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic4, 4 (2)

How to Prevent Neck Pain During Cycling

Getting pain from a cycling session can be frustrating. You are trying to improve your skill and you end up with neck pain, putting you out for the next cycling day. Neck pain from this sport is really common and is usually caused from weak muscles or poor posture.

It’s not hard to overuse your muscles and injuring yourself. Sometimes it’s just a matter of choosing a better bike fit or changing your posture just slightly. You don’t have to give up your favorite hobby due to that neck pain you keep getting. Use this guide to determine what’s causing your neck pain and learn how to prevent it going forward.

What could be causing the pain?

While neck pain and injury is common from cycling, it can be frustrating if you’re not sure what is causing it. There are a few possible causes to your problem and solutions to these problems. The first may be that you are unaware of prevention methods that would help you avoid the neck pain or numbness, such as properly fitting bikes, the right equipment, or not stretching the right areas. Having the wrong alignment or forgetting to stretch after being stiff for too long can cause serious injury after prolonged periods of time.

About bike fit

Getting properly fitted for your bike is one of the most important things you could do for regular cycling. If you don’t have a good bike fit, it might be that your frame is too big or small for you. the handlebars may be too wide or narrow or your stem may need to be adjusted to be just shorter or longer than it is now. This all affects your posture for a long cycling session. Working with a professional could help you to make tiny adjustments that will help you prevent pain and numbness.

You’ll also want to make sure your posture allows your shoulder blades to be engaged and held back away from ears. Your head shouldn’t be cocked back too far either. Make sure your bike gloves have padding for the bike you are using to avoid hand numbness and add tape to your handle bars if you ride on roads.

Learn proper stretching

You may find that you don’t have any pain until a couple of hours after cycling, which could mean that it’s more of a weak muscle issue. Not having strong enough muscles to support your head’s weight for a long period of time could be the reason for your pain.

This is because the trapezius muscles along your neck and shoulder attached to the base of your head are tensed for a long period of time, and it causes your muscles to lack in blood oxygen from the lack of blood flow to the area. When you experience muscle spasms and other pain, this is the reason behind it. Simply remembering to strengthen and stretch this area is the perfect way to relieve this problem.

Proper stretching includes doing:

Chin tucks in a neutral position
Right and left head rotations to stretch the neck
Right and left lateral flexion of your neck to the shoulder
Extension by tilting your head back to stretch the back of the neck
Flexion of the neck while standing or sitting upright to stretch the muscles in the back of your neck

If you aren’t using all of the gear you need, have a bike that is just slightly off, or forget to strengthen your muscles, you could end up with pain and numbness when you cycle. Make sure to check all of these items out before cycling again to make sure you are keeping your body healthy and strong.