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630-513-7770
3755 E. Main St., Suite 185, St. Charles
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Issue No. 27 September 2014
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How's Your Heart?
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 Are You At Risk For Heart Attack or Stroke?
- Do You Have Plaque In Your Arteries?
- Are You Genetically Predisposed to Heart Disease?
- Are You at Risk for Peripheral Neuropathy?
Get the answers to these and other questions Wednesday, October 8 at St. Charles Pain & Wellness Center, and learn how we can predict, identify, and monitor patients with hypertension and other cardiovascular illnesses with the latest technology that measures hypertension and nervous system health.
This simple, painless 20-minute screening will
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help you determine your risk for heart attack or stroke;
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detect plaque in your arteries;
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indicate whether you're predisposed to heart disease; and
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determine your risk for peripheral neuropathy.
You'll get a copy of the results immediately, including:
- heart rate
- blood pressure
- pulse wave (circulation testing)
- heart rate variability (how well the nervous system controls the heart function)
This life-changing screening is just $40 for first-time patients, or $20 for those who were screened in June and want to learn their 90-day progress. The cost may be covered by your insurance.
Appointments are still available: 8am-noon and 2-6pm
Call the office at 630-513-7770 to schedule yours TODAY!
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Keep Young Athletes
Healthy & Fit
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Although being part of a football, soccer or Little League team is an important rite of passage for many children, parents and their children shouldn't overlook the importance  of proper nutrition and body-conditioning needed for preventing injuries on and off the playing field. The majority, if not all, sports are good, provided that the child prepares appropriately, says Dr. Timothy Ray, a member of the American Chiropractic Association's Council on Sports Injuries and Physical Fitness. "Without proper preparation, playing any sport can turn into a bad experience. There are structural and physical developmental issues that need to be taken into consideration before children undertake certain sports." Highly competitive sports such as football, gymnastics and wrestling follow rigorous training schedules that can be potentially dangerous to an adolescent or teenager. The best advice for parents who have young athletes in the family is to help them prepare their bodies and to learn to protect themselves from sports related injuries before they happen. Proper nutrition and hydration are also extremely vital. While an ordinary person may need to drink eight to 10 8-ounce glasses of water each day, athletes need to drink even more than that for proper absorption. Breakfast should be the most important meal of the day. Also, eating a healthy meal two to four hours before a practice or a game and another within one to two hours after a game or practice allows for proper replenishment and refuels the body. Young athletes today often think they are invincible. The following tips can help ensure your child does not miss a step when it comes to proper fitness, stretching, training and rest that the body needs to engage in sporting activities. Encourage your child to: -
Wear the proper equipment. Certain contact sports, such as football and hockey, can be dangerous if the equipment is not properly fitted. Make sure all equipment, including helmets, pads and shoes fit your child or adolescent. Talk to your child's coach or trainer if the equipment is damaged.
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 Eat healthy meals. Make sure your young athlete is eating a well-balanced diet and does not skip meals. Avoid high-fat foods, such as candy bars and fast food. At home, provide fruit rather than cookies, and vegetables rather than potato chips. -
Maintain a healthy weight. Certain sports, such as gymnastics, wrestling and figure skating, may require your young athlete to follow strict dietary rules. Be sure your child does not feel pressured into being too thin and that he/she understands that proper nutrition and caloric intake is needed for optimal performance and endurance.
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Drink water. Hydration is a key element to optimal fitness. Teenage athletes should drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Younger athletes should drink five to eight 8-ounce glasses of water.
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Drink milk. Make sure your child has enough calcium included in his/her diet. For children over 2 years of age, ACA recommends 1 percent or skim milk rather than whole milk. Milk is essential for healthy bones and reduces the risk of joint and muscle related injuries.
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Follow a warm-up routine. Be sure your child or his/her coach includes a warm-up and stretching session before every practice, game or meet. A slow jog, jumping rope and/or lifting small weights reduces the risk of torn or ripped muscles. Flexibility is key when pushing to score that extra goal or make that critical play.
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Get plenty of rest. Eight hours of sleep is ideal for the young athlete. Lack of sleep and rest can decrease performance. Sluggishness, irritability and loss of interest could indicate that your child is fatigued.
Chiropractic Care Can Help Dr. Jacob Hertz has worked with many young athletes to ensure their neuromusculoskeletal health and can provide advice on sports training, nutrition and injury prevention. Ca;; St. Charles Pain & Wellness Center at 630-513-7770 to learn more or schedule a consultation.
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Check Your Child's Backpack for More than Homework!
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 Here are some tips to help prevent the pain that backpack misuse could cause your children:
- Make sure your child's backpack weighs no more than 5 to 10 percent of his or her body weight. A heavier backpack will cause your child to bend forward in an attempt to support the weight on his or her back, rather than on the shoulders, by the straps.
- The backpack should never hang more than four inches below the waistline. A backpack that hangs too low increases the weight on the shoulders, causing your child to lean forward when walking.
- A backpack with individualized compartments helps in positioning the contents most effectively. Make sure that pointy or bulky objects are packed away from the area that will rest on your child's back.
- Bigger is not necessarily better. The more room there is in a backpack, the more your child will carry-and the heavier the backpack will be.
- Urge your child to wear both shoulder straps. Lugging the backpack around by one strap can cause the disproportionate shift of weight to one side, leading to neck and muscle spasms, as well as low-back pain.
- Wide, padded straps are very important. Non-padded straps are uncomfortable, and can dig into your child's shoulders.
- The shoulder straps should be adjustable so the backpack can be fitted to your child's body. Straps that are too loose can cause the backpack to dangle uncomfortably and cause spinal misalignment and pain.
- If the backpack is still too heavy, talk to your child's teacher. Ask if your child could leave the heaviest books at school, and bring home only lighter hand-out materials or workbooks.
- Although the use of rollerpacks - or backpacks on wheels - has become popular in recent years, they be used cautiously and on a limited basis by only those students who are not physically able to carry a backpack. Some school districts have begun banning the use of rollerpacks because they clutter hallways, resulting in dangerous trips and falls.
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Nutrition Advice for a Healthy New You
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There is no better way to rejuvenate your health than by eating more nutritiously. In fact, even a few simple changes in your diet and lifestyle can have a positive impact on your health-and can also prevent a variety of health proble
 ms in the future.
The traditional coffee and doughnuts for breakfast; a hamburger for lunch-or no lunch; candy, cookies, and a soft drink for a snack; followed by a huge dinner with more protein than a person needs-are unhealthy dietary choices. As a result, younger people are starting to suffer from heart disease-not only because of poor diet, but also because of an epidemic of inactivity.
To reverse the alarming trend, Dr. Hertz and other doctors of chiropractic urge patients to stop smoking, eat a balanced diet, drink plenty of water, exercise regularly, and augment their balanced diet with appropriate nutritional supplements.
What Can You Do?
Dr. Hertz offers the following prevention and wellness advice: Dietary Changes - Eat more raw foods. Cooking and canning destroys much of the nutrition in foods. With the exception of canned tomatoes, which can help prevent prostate cancer,1 fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables always have more natural vitamins and minerals.
- Select organically grown foods when possible, because they have lower amounts of toxic elements, such as pesticides and heavy metals.
- Consume 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day. Whole-grain breads and cereals, beans, nuts, and some fruits and vegetables are good sources of fiber. High-fiber diets can help prevent digestive disorders, heart disease, and colon cancer.
- Drink eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Coffee, tea, soft drinks, and alcohol are dehydrators. Don't substitute them for water.
Vegetarian Diets
Research shows that a good vegetarian diet as part of a comprehensive health program can help prevent heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.2,3 However, fried foods, hydrogenated fats, and commercial meat substitutes may contain more sugar and fat than a meat-eater would consume.
If you are considering a vegetarian diet, keep the following tips in mind: - Don't rely on fruits and vegetables at the expense of grains and legumes. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to consume a wide range of nutrients.
- Tiredness, malaise, and anemia can be signs of deficiencies. Have your B12 and iron levels checked at least once a year.
- Consume fortified foods or take supplements to obtain the nutrients you no longer get from animal-based products, such as vitamin B12.
- Before eliminating animal products from the diet, learn to do it right. Children, pregnant and breast-feeding women, and people recovering from illness should consult their health care practitioners.
Supplements According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, dietary supplements are not substitutes for foods, nor can a person sustain good health by just taking vitamin and mineral supplements. When taken properly, however, supplements can play an important role in achieving maximum health. If you are considering nutritional supplements, keep the following tips in mind to consume dark green vegetables, oils, nuts, and seeds, which are sources of magnesium, fatty acids, and many other vitamins and minerals. Don't "self-prescribe." Consult a health care practitioner, such as a doctor of chiropractic, to determine what supplements are best for you. If you have symptoms such as headaches, chronic fatigue, or cardiac problems, seek professional advice from a health care provider who specializes in nutrition. 
Lifestyle Changes - Exercise at least 20-30 minutes, 3-4 days a week.
- Eat out more sparingly. Food preparation methods in restaurants often involve high amounts-and the wrong types-of fat and sugar.
- Brown-bag your lunch to control your fat and sugar content while adding nutritious fruits, vegetables, and grains.
- Limit your intake of alcohol and quit smoking. Drinking alcohol excessively and/or smoking hinder your body's ability to absorb nutrients from your food.
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Fewer Workouts, Better Results 
Get More from Your Workout by Doing Less
By Richard J. Wolff, RD, LDN
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Research linking muscular strength to better health continues to grow every year. Evidence supporting this link is so strong that major health agencies now include strength training in their exercise guidelines.
Exercise scientists agree that increasing strength requires deep muscle fatigue. The safest, most efficient way to reach deep muscle fatigue is to engage in muscle-strengthening exercises such as strength training. Activities like running, swimming, biking and hiking do not require the kind of intense muscular work necessary to achieve deep muscle fatigue. Therefore, these activities are limited in their ability to build strength.
As important as deep muscle fatigue is, it is only effective when combined with adequate rest. During the rest phase, muscles become stronger and healthier. Unfortunately, many people overlook rest. In fact, some mistakenly believe more is better when it comes to strength training.
Your body needs time to recover from the stress of a demanding strength workout. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, insufficient rest between workouts leaves your muscles unable to perform at their best. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 48 to 96 hours between strength workouts.
This translates into 2 full-body strength workouts per week. Exceeding two workouts a week can limit strength gains and contribute to overtraining syndrome. That's good news if you struggle with a busy schedules. Improving your health is easier than you think!
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Dr. Jacob M. Hertz
is a Cum Laude graduate of the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. Following graduation, Dr. Hertz practiced as an Associate Chiropractor in Peoria and for four years successfully treated over 5,000 patients and their families with many different health conditions. He moved to St. Charles in 2010 to open his own practice.
He has been involved with chiropractic almost since he was born -- he was adjusted as an infant by his uncle, a chiropractor in Wisconsin where Dr. Hertz grew up. Dr. Hertz uses a number of gentle and safe chiropractic techniques for adjusting the spine including Diversified, Activator, and Drop Table. He is also Nationally Board Certified in Physiotherapy and uses exercise and rehabilitation to help patients heal faster and reach optimum health. St. Charles Pain & Wellness Center also offers nutritional aids for those who seek to supplement their diet and improve their health, which have proved successful in preventing unnecessary surgeries for many patients. |
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