You Need Your Knees - Be Kind to Them

Knee pain is very common and can stem from a variety of different sources. Whatever the cause, it can be a debilitating condition that can have a significant impact on all aspects of your life.  If left untreated, the condition can worsen leading to permanent damage to the knee joint, and often other problems such as hip pain, ankle pain and back pain.  The knee joint is such an important part of body movement - we use it to stand, walk, sit in various forms, and so much more.  Because of the high degree to which we use our knees in everyday life, it is important to keep it healthy.  First, lets talk about some different conditions that might be causing your knee pain.   Some of the most common causes of knee pain are listed below: 

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1.  Sprains, often involving the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL): These types of injuries usually occur as a result of trauma, often in the form of a sporting activity.  Hyperextension of the knee, or a hard blow to the knee can cause the tiny ligaments in your knees to tear.  As a result, you may experience weakness of the knee joint, or a sensation of it giving out.  You may also experience swelling that becomes more severe with use of the joint, and you may have difficulty or pain performing certain movements, especially those that involve bending the knee such as climbing stairs.  If you feel you may have this type of an injury, it is important to have the condition evaluated to initiate the healing process and prevent the injury from getting worse.  In cases of a severe ACL tear, conservative treatment is usually not enough and surgical intervention may be required.  In less severe cases, many individuals are able to function normally through the use of conservative treatments such as chiropractic care and physical therapy.  

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2. Arthritis: Arthritis of the knee is very common.  The two major types are Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune, inflammatory condition, and Osteoarthritis, a degenerative condition.  You can read more about these two conditions by visiting the links below.  The more common type of arthritis is Osteoarthritis, and this is typically what people are referring to when they say they have "arthritis".  In the knee, this condition is fairly common among younger individuals, although Osteoarthritis is typically a condition that affects elderly individuals.  The onset of this condition can be prevented if joint health is maintained and any injuries to the knee are treated properly.  

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3. Meniscus tears: Like knee sprains, meniscus tears are usually a result of an injury.  Typically, meniscus tears occur with compression and twisting of the knee, as may occur in quick stopping or turning motions of playing certain sports.  Symptoms of meniscus tears include clicking or popping in the joint that is usually painless, or locking of the joint preventing the knee from being flexed or extended.  

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Knee injuries rarely heal completely on their own without proper treatment.  Therefore, if you've sustained a knee injury, it is important that you contact a physician for an evaluation to determine the best course of treatment for you. You may contact our Daytona Beach office to schedule your evaluation with Dr. Fleming. Online scheduling is available by clicking the link below. 

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Dr. Alesha Fleming

Natural Health and Wellness Chiropractic, LLC

Daytona Beach, FL

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Dr. Fleming is a family chiropractor in Daytona Beach, Florida.  She is passionate about preventative health care and nutrition and enjoys empowering her patients to improve their health and fitness, one day at a time!

Of the many "Silent Killers", this one is Preventable

The U.S. Department of health and human services reported that in 2014, 25.8 million Americans are suffering from diabetes and 7 million individuals are unaware that they have this disease.  One of the first signs of developing diabetes may be insulin resistance.  Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas that signals cells in the body to allow the glucose that is ingested through the diet to enter the body’s cells.  Without insulin, glucose will not be able to enter the cells to be used by the body for energy, which can cause a number of different problems to occur.  This is what happens in insulin resistance.  Eating a diet that is high in simple sugars can cause your blood sugar to spike very high after meals, and crash again shortly after, leading to a similar spike and plummet of insulin.  Over time this causes the body to stop responding to insulin, which in turn keeps glucose from entering the cells.  Insulin resistance is diagnosed by measuring the levels of glucose in the blood.  In insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, blood glucose will usually be elevated. 

Although lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise are the major factors contributing to insulin resistance, other factors such as certain medications, pregnancy and genetics may also play a role.  Current management of insulin resistance that exists without the presence of type 2 diabetes involves improvement of the diet and implementation of an exercise program.  If the condition progresses to type 2 diabetes, it may become necessary to manage the condition with insulin or other medications prescribed by your physician1.  If you are suffering from insulin resistance, implementing positive lifestyle changes is imperative to prevent the condition from progressing to type 2 diabetes. 

Exercising, ingesting a lower calorie or low sugar diet, and supplementing antioxidants and fish oil, have all been found to decrease insulin resistance.  One study, conducted on a group of 30 women with metabolic syndrome, examined the effects of fish oil on insulin resistance.   They found that 0.41g of EPA and DHA per day had a significant impact on insulin resistance as well as blood pressure. A decrease of approximately 6 mg/dL in glucose levels was observed in the group receiving the fish oil supplements, compared with a 3mg/dL decrease in glucose levels of the control group.  Another study found that daily supplementation with a combination of vitamin E, vitamin C and S-adenosylmethionine have also helped manage insulin resistance by reducing postprandial insulin response1.  However, the most significant change in the response of glucose to insulin is found in response to improved diet and exercise.  Along with type 2 diabetes, it is directly linked to obesity, and therefore weight loss is also a very important factor in improving health and reversing and preventing the progression of symptoms. 

Sources:

1. National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2014. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 May 2014. Web. 19 Aug. 2014

2.  Chowdhury, K., Legare, D., Lautt, W. Lifestyle impact on meal-induced insulin sensitization in health and prediabetes: A focus on diet, antioxidants, and exercise interventions.  Can. J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 2013; 91: 91-100.

3.  Carvalho, A., Uehara, S., Netto, J., Rosa, G. Hypocaloric diet associated with the consumption of jam enriched with microencapsulated fish oil decreases insulin resistance.  Nutr. Hosp. 2014; 29(5): 1103-1108. 

4.  Fleming, Alesha.  Natural Health and Wellness Chiropractic. www.nhwchiro.com, Daytona Beach, FL, 2015.

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Dr. Alesha Fleming

Natural Health and Wellness Chiropractic, LLC

Daytona Beach, FL

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Dr. Fleming is a family chiropractor in Daytona Beach, Florida.  She is passionate about preventative health care and nutrition and enjoys empowering her patients to improve their health and fitness, one day at a time!

It's Not the Monster in the Closet Keeping you From Falling Asleep...

Approximately 60 million people in United States suffer from some form of long- or short-term sleep disorder.  Experiencing difficulty falling or staying asleep is not uncommon.  If you have trouble falling asleep at night, try a few of these tips to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.  

1. Drink a glass of warm milk and honey before bed.  Drinking warm milk can help to raise your body temperature, relaxing you and making you sleepy.  Honey contains L-tryptophan which is converted to seratonin, and further converted to melatonin in the body.  Melatonin is critical in regulating your sleep cycle and is used to signal your body that it's time to go to sleep!

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2. Have a cup of Chamomile Tea before bed.  Some studies have shown that chamomile has a mild soothing, anti-anxiety effect.  Drinking a cup of this tea before bed may help relax your mind and help you fall asleep more easily.  

3.  Try 30 minutes of exercise in the afternoon, about four hours before bed.  Studeis have shown that exercising during the day can actually help you sleep better at night.  Try to avoid exercising right before bed.  This can give you an adrenaline rush that will interfere with your ability to fall asleep quickly.  

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4. Avoid late night snacking, especially on items high in sugar or simple carbohydrates.  This type of lat-night snacking can raise your blood sugar and give you a rush of energy when you don't need it, making it harder for you to fall asleep.  

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Dr. Alesha Fleming

Natural Health and Wellness Chiropractic, LLC

Daytona Beach, FL

Dr. Fleming is a family chiropractor in Daytona Beach, Florida.  She is passionate about preventative health care and nutrition and enjoys empowering her patients to improve their health and fitness, one day at a time!

Don't Keep it All to Yourself! Babies Like to Feel Good Too! :)

Though we don't remember it, we've all experienced child birth firsthand.  This is a very traumatic experience.  Whether by C-section or by natural birth, chances are, there was a significant amount of pulling, tugging, and jerking of various parts of our bodies involved.  It is important to promote proper joint function and alignment in newborns and children early on to help ensure that proper joint motion is maintained in their growing bodies.  Newborn babies often suffer from neck and back pain, but unfortunately, it can be difficult for them to communicate this to their parents.  Many babies that seem to cry incessantly are suffering from these symptoms.  Some other signs that your baby may be in pain include difficulty sleeping through the night, "failure to thrive" and trouble nursing. 

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Adjustments of newborns and children usually involve the use of a small, low force adjustment tool called an activator that is gentle enough to use on the tiniest spines!  Often times just a small amount of pressure with the fingers on certain areas of the spine is enough to relax the muscles, provide movement to the joint spaces, and significantly improve your baby's pain.  Find out more by scheduling your first visit with Dr. Fleming.  She will explain the benefits of chiropractic care and answer any questions you might have about treatment for your little ones.  Be sure to also check out the tabs on pregnancy and chiropractic for information on easing labor and delivery, as well as the tab on children and chiropractic to learn the benefit that chiropractic care may have for their health.  

Dr. Alesha Fleming

Natural Health and Wellness Chiropractic, LLC

Daytona Beach, FL

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Source: American Chiropractic Association.  Increasing numbers of children receive pediatric chiropractic care.  January 2009.  

http://www.acatoday.org/press_css.cfm?CID=3247

Dr. Fleming is a family chiropractor in Daytona Beach, Florida.  She is passionate about preventative health care and nutrition and enjoys empowering her patients to improve their health and fitness, one day at a time!