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Issue No. 9
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February 25, 2013
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Meet Our New Staff
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Carol Hayes - Massage Therapist
Carol is a nationally certified massage therapist and a member of the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP). She graduated from the Elgin Community College Massage Program and is certified in both prenatal and pospartum massage. Carol remains a student of her profession by pursuing additional skills and advanced techniques in the field of wellness and healing. She prides herself in her ability to listen to the needs of others and is excited to be performing massage at St. Charles Pain and Wellness Center.
SPECIAL: Carol is offering a $40 one-hour massage for first-time clients. Call to make your appointment today!
Diana Jurado - Receptionist 
Diana previously worked as an assistant to another chiropractor, and brings to St. Charles Pain & Wellness Center three years experience as well as fluency in Spanish. In just a few short weeks she has come to know most of our patients and says the environment here is "amazing."
Welcome to both Carol and Diana --
be sure to stop in soon to meet them in person!
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St Charles Pain and Wellness Center Newsletter
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Why Do My Joints Ache When It's Damp or Cold?
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Though we Chicagoans haven't had too much winter weather to complain about this year, there still have been days when it's been damp, cold and generally miserable. It is common for people with chronic joint pain to feel more pain and stiffness in this kind of weather.
While it might be tempting to be skeptical when an elderly relative says his or her joints are predicting that it will rain tomorrow. . . . it turns out they may be right! Essentially, our joints sometimes act as human barometers.
 Researchers believe it's not actually the cold, snow or rain that causes an increase in joint pain, but rather a change in barometric pressure. Robert Jamison, PhD, a professor at Harvard Medical School, and several colleagues performed experiments with chronic pain sufferers to investigate this phenomenon. The resulting study reported that 67.9 percent of those surveyed were sure changes in the weather had an effect on their pain. Most reported that they can feel a change in their pain before rain or cold weather occur.
Jamison likens our joints to a balloon. "When a balloon is inflated, it has the maximum inside and outside pressure. High barometric pressure that pushes against the body from the outside keeps tissues from expanding." But when the weather changes, the barometer drops, reducing atmospheric pressure and allowing tissues to swell. This can put increased pressure on the nerves that send pain signals. It doesn't take much expansion or contraction of tissue to pull a pain trigger.
And in most cases, moving to a warmer climate unfortunately won't help. If you have awful back or neck pain, there's a good chance that the pain will travel with you. According to Jamison's research, there is no area of the country where people experience less pain.
So what can be done to manage joint pain t hat comes and goes with the weather? Dr. Hertz suggest a few possible strategies:
- Support your joints - Use joint supports (such as elastic knee bandages or support gloves for your hands) to keep tissues from expanding with the change in weather.
- Keep warm - Dressing warmly can help relax your muscles.
- Apply an ice pack or other type of cold compress to painful areas to help ease pain.
- Keep moving - Much as you may long to stay curled up under the duvet in bad weather, moving around will help keep your joints from stiffening. Try doing some gentle yoga and stretching exercises.
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How Do Chiropractors Know If Your Spine is Out of Alignment?
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 Having a misaligned spine (also called a spinal subluxation) can affect your daily life in a number of ways. It can not only cause pain in the back and neck, but can also cause pain in the rest of the body because of the pressure that the misaligned vertebrae place on nerves in the spinal column. For example, many people suffer from sciatica (a condition in which pain can be felt shooting down the leg as far as the foot) due to a misaligned vertebral disc putting pressure on the spinal nerve roots. A chiropractor can diagnose if your pain is due to your spine being misaligned and can perform a spinal adjustment to restore proper alignment and range of movement, relieving pain.
Spinal subluxations are very common. They occur when one or more of your 24 bony vertebrae (most people actually have 33 vertebrae counting the nine that are fused to form the sacrum and coccyx) are pulled out of alignment with one another. This can happen for a variety of reasons. Among the most frequent contributors to spinal misalignment are an injury, a sudden jar, fall or trauma, bad posture, stress, inactivity, obesity, repetitive motions and lifting something improperly. When your spine becomes misaligned, your range of motion can become more restricted, with or without accompanying pain.
Although spinal misalignments can happen quickly (in the case of an accident or acute injury), they can also occur over time due to weak postural muscles caused, for example, by sitting at a desk all day.
Dr. Hertz uses a variety of diagnostic techniques to determine if your spine is out of alignment. Most chiropractors can easily spot a subluxation, as body posture reflects any misalignment. When standing, your body may lean to one side, or your head may tilt to the left or right. Also, one shoulder or hip may appear higher than the other, and the distribution of body weight may favor one foot or the other.
Once the misalignment has been pinpointed, your chiropractor will perform a spinal adjustment that will move your vertebrae back into alignment, restoring correct posture and alleviating pain that may have been caused by the misalignment.
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Learn to Purify the Whole Food Way on Tuesday, April 2
|  If there was a safe, proven way you could cleanse your body to have more energy, maintain a healthy weight, and improve digestion, would you give it a try? Our purification program, based on whole foods, enables your body to gently rid itself of toxins and "reset." Many of our patients have experienced eye-opening results from this quality program, and we'd like you to benefit from it as well. Join us Tuesday evening, April 2nd for an overview of how this 21-day program can make a difference in your health. Call the St. Charles Pain & Wellness Center office at 630-513-7770 or by email, and watch for more information as we get closer to the date. We look forward to seeing you! |
Introducing 3D Imaging for Sophisticated, State-of-the-Art
Patient Care & Treatment
|  Dr. Hertz has introduced a new treatment protocol to provide a more thorough patient exam: Foot Levelers' 3D BodyView, the first true color 3D imaging device for chiropractic care and treatment. The Foot Levelers 3D BodyView produces a 3D volumetric image to indicate relative relationships between the body and different components of the foot. This device is the most accurate 3D technology in its class, and certified to be accurate within 300 microns. |
Our heart screening event on Feb. 20 was such a success that we'll be hosting another one on Wednesday, June 12. Reserve your time now to ensure your appointment -- call Diana at 630-513-7770 or email her today!
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Seven Steps to a Strong, Healthy Waistline
by Richard Wolff, RD, LDN,
MedFitness of St. Charles
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According to the National Centers for Disease Control, over 68% of Americans are overweight or obese. A large, unfit waistline is not only uncomfortable -- it increases your risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic, low back problems.
Fortunately, building a strong healthy waistline is possible. By following these seven steps you can be on your way to getting the waistline you want!
Step 1: Check Your Numbers.
Knowing your waist measurement is critical because it's directly related to your health. Excess fat in the midsection (internal fat) is metabolically unhealthy. Unlike subcutan- eous fat (the fat between muscle and skin), internal fat secretes chemicals into your blood stream. These chemicals, called cytokines, increase your risk of degenerative diseases. According to the National Institutes of Health, men should strive to maintain a waist of 40 inches or less, while women should strive for 35 inches or less. To check your numbers, wrap a tape measure around your waist at the navel (belly button).
Step 2: Build a Strong Base
. Strong abdominal and low back muscles improve posture and muscle tone in your waistline. Good posture and muscle tone are important ingredients of a healthy waistline. Increasing the strength of your abdominal wall and low back can be accomplished with a simple, strength-building program.
Step 3: No Zero Days.
Besides protecting your health, daily physical activity can also trim your waistline. Research has linked burning at least 300 calories every day to successful weight management (losing weight and keeping if off). In addition to burning calories, physical activity also functions as a gateway behavior by improving decision-making: physically active people are more likely to make other good decisions (such as healthy eating).
Step 4: Fill up on fewer calories.
When most Americans try to lose body fat, they make the mistake of trying to eat less -- but the easiest way to cut calories and lose body fat is to actually fill up on foods containing 5 to 50 calories per ounce (the average American diet is full of foods containing 75 to 200 calories per ounce). Some examples: white fish, shellfish, poultry, veggie burgers, low-fat dairy, water-based soups, all fruits and vegetables, and meal replacements such as shakes.
Step 5: Beat the Menopausal Myth.
For many women the transition through menopause can lead to weight gain in the waist. However, it's a myth that weight gain is inevitable. In a study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine researchers found that women who consumed a reduced-calorie diet while being physically active (burning about 200 calories per day) were able to prevent weight gain.
Step 6: Avoid Targeting Your Waistline. Waistline exercises won't help you slim down. Exercise does not have a spot-reducing effect when it comes to fat loss. What does help is burning more total calories (Step 3) and filling up on fewer calories (Step 4).
Step 7: Strengthen Your Entire Body. Behind the epidemic of growing waistlines in the U.S. is another epidemic that gets little attention: our weakening muscles. Starting in our 40s, we lose about � pound of muscle per year, and gain at least that much in fat. Losing muscle and gaining body fat contributes to both poor health and a growing waistline.
Get help reaching your goals by contacting the experts at MEDFITNESS. To experience our trademarked, personal training program, schedule a Free Trial Workout by calling (630) 762-1784 or visiting us online at www.medfitnessprogram.com.
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