Union City Chiropractors Share Tips On How to Prepare for Your Appointment

Are you turning to a chiropractor to treat recurring pain and discomfort or would you just like to lead a healthy and natural life? If so, what do you need to do to prepare for your first appointment? Here are some simple suggestions that you can use to see a Union City chiropractor or any other city.

Make it. You should call as soon as you start experiencing pan. Some chiropractors, especially those with limited competition in the area, have a long waiting list. Also, make it known that you are available for last minute appointments. If someone cancels at the last minute, his or her appointment may go to you. Speaking of cancellations, if you must cancel your first appointment, be sure to call. You can be charged for a no-show if you do not provide adequate notice. Doctors also have the right to refuse patients. If you constantly don’t show up without canceling ahead of time, treatment can be refused.

Write down your symptoms. You suffer from pain, that is a given. Do you know exactly where it hurts, when it hurts, or what you are usually doing at the time? It helps if you know these answers before scheduling a first appointment. Although you know, write it down. Seeing a chiropractor for the first time can be overwhelming. It is easy to forget certain things, even though you really do know them. So, write down anything related to your pain and discomfort including when it hurts, where it hurts, and how bad. Bring your notes with you to your appointment and refer to them.

Write down questions to ask. Your chiropractor should answer all of your questions by the second appointment. After a quick physical exam and the gathering of your medical history, they will diagnose the problem and decide on a course of treatment. For example, those suffering from spinal distortions due to muscle contractions can get a onetime neck adjustment. Those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis can get ongoing therapeutic massages and regular joint adjustments. Most chiropractors will explain the treatment for you in detail. This may already answer some of your questions, but ask the others.

Review your medical history. Each medical history form varies, but you will be asked many common questions. For example, you will be asked about family history. Does anyone in your immediate family suffer from spinal problems? Do you see a primary care physician? Are you taking any medications? You can usually answer these questions on the spot, but think about them ahead of time and prepare. If taking medications for diabetes or another condition, write down the names.

Ask to pickup forms ahead of time. For the first appointment, you will be asked to arrive early. This is so that you can fill out payment forms, insurance forms, and medical history forms. If leaving work early to attend your appointment, time is vital. Inquire about picking up the forms and completing them at home. This way you do not need to arrive too early.

Gather your insurance cards. If you are covered by medical insurance, do not leave home without your insurance cards. Your chiropractor will need the numbers and they may request a copy of your insurance card and driver’s license. Now is also the time to ask about filing. Most chiropractors will have their secretaries file all insurance claims, but some leave this up to you.

Determine how you will pay. If you are not covered by medical insurance, you must pay for the costs out-of-pocket. Know how you can pay ahead of time and develop a plan. Do you need to save money or borrow from a relative? Have a plan in place. Try asking for a payment plan, but they are rarely given to first-time patents. As for accepted methods of payment, ask. Some chiropractors accept cash, checks, money orders, and credit cards, while others prefer cash only.

If you are in our area and would like to schedule an appointment with our Union City chiropractors, please call 510-324-0100. Our Union City office is located at
2815 Whipple Road, Union City, California.

5 Reasons to Take Your Child to the Chiropractor

Are you a parent? No parent wants to see their children in pain, but it does happen from time to time. Children occasionally get headaches, suffer from allergies, get earaches, and have back pain. Basically, the list is endless. As a parent, you know that children are like magnets to injuries, pain, and illness. Although most are minor, care should be sought, but where should you turn? Instead of heading to your child’s primary care physician, head to a local children chiropractor. Why? Here are 5 reasons.

1 – It Is Safe

Chiropractic care is natural medicine. For that reason, it is safe. If your child experiences pain and discomfort, their primary care physician is likely to suggest over-the-counter pain relievers or prescribe prescription medication. This may work, but the pain usually returns. Why? They only mask the problem. Yes, some forms of pain and discomfort may disappear on their own with time and self-care, but there may be a more serious underlying issue. You will not know unless you turn to a chiropractor. Their job is to treat the pain by going directly to the source and fixing the problem.

Chiropractic care involves manual, hands on, therapy. Since medications are not prescribed and the hands provide treatment, it is safe for individuals of all ages, including children.

2 – Most Treatment is Covered by Health Insurance

It is no secret that raising kids is expensive. Add in the cost of medical care, and the overall cost soars. Luckily, many insurance providers extend coverage for chiropractic care. Some will offer discounts for opting for an in-network provider, but you can seek care anywhere your insurance is accepted.

If your family is not covered by medical insurance, there are still benefits to seeking care. Just look for a chiropractor with affordable rates or one who is willing to set up a flexible payment plan.

3 – They Treat a Wide Range of Problems

Many adults mistakenly believe that chiropractors only treat spinal, back, and neck problems. Yes, this is their specialty, but more is offered. For example, did you know that a chiropractor can treat and lessen the onset of earaches and ear infections? They can. Blocked draining pathways cause most ear infections. Chiropractic adjustments and therapeutic massages are used to open up those pathways and promote the proper flow of fluid. Basically, if your child is experiencing pain, no matter how often or severe, a chiropractor can provide relief and that relief is usually long-lasting.

4 – It Is Easy to Find a Chiropractor

If you are unfamiliar with chiropractic care, you may have not given any thought to the offices in your area. You may have driven past one each day on the way to work. Turn to your local phonebook, a standard internet search, online business directories, or your insurance company to find a local chiropractor. If you are in the SF Bay Area, give our chiropractors in Fremont or Union City a call and schedule an appointment for your child. It really is as easy as that!

5 – The Benefits

Last, but not least, there are many benefits to chiropractic care. As previously stated, medications are not prescribed. Treatment is natural and safe. It is also long-lasting, as chiropractors do not mask the pain, they treat it. As a parent, this should be very important. Successful chiropractic care can allow your child to return to their happy normal self. Reduced pain and increased mobility means more fun and less suffering.

Alternative Health Debate

Many people are pretty polarized on the alternative health care debate. They are either completely for or completely against it. On the one hand, there are people who stand with tradition entirely and are unwilling to compromise. They believe that normal medical health is the highest level that the treatment of diseases has ever reached. They don’t believe in any alternative health treatment at all, viewing it as unscientific and probably unhelpful as well.

On the other hand, there are alternative health fanatics. I know some people who will only use holistic health services and nothing else. They won’t even take prescription drugs if they believe they can get better with herbs. They believe that science is overrated and that some things can’t be measured in numbers.

I always try to avoid either extreme in my own practices. I have had some great success with alternative health, and definitely wouldn’t give it up. On the other hand, I think that science is very valuable. Traditional Western medicine has done a lot of great things for us. It has brought us a new understanding of the physical body, excellent drugs and treatment options, incredible scans which allow us to see inside the body, and many other helpful technologies. To throw it all away based on a vague belief in the power of herbs is foolish.

That is why I use both alternative healing and traditional medicine. I think that improving your diet and taking health supplements can do great things for you, and is often a better solution than costly medications with side effects. When you are not treating something severe and acute, you shouldn’t put a lot of stress on your body during the treatment. Otherwise the cure can be worse than the illness. Using herbal treatments can remove the need to strain your body by introducing antibiotics and things like that into it.

On the other hand, I like to keep traditional medicine as an option. Sometimes, things get really bad and you just need a pretty strong treatment. You might not want to start with an operation or even prescription medication, but it might come to that in the end. This is why I have always viewed complimentary medicine as the best approach. It allows you to combine the best of both worlds. After all, the more tools you have, the more options you have for treatment.

Scoliosis Symptoms and Treatments

Scoliosis is never fun. Along with the physical pain it brings, it can also result in emotional difficulties for its victims. But chiropractors can usually provide correction if problems are identified in time.

Scoliosis is a condition that results in an improper curving of an individual’s spine and sometimes incorrect rotation of the spine. While the problem begins as abnormal posture, it can progress to deformity and — if untreated — complications to the lungs, heart, and other vital organs.

The formal cause of scoliosis has never been identified, but there are some facts about it that have been determined:

• Scoliosis is usually seen in women
• Individuals with cerebral palsy or spina bifida are more prone to develop scoliosis
• It may be present at birth because of an anomaly
• Trauma may be a culprit in the development of scoliosis in adults
• It may begin or become worse during adolescence
• Often, scoliosis may develop from assuming an incorrect position of the head or hip

Chiropractic care can bring relief to pain and better health to a patient experiencing difficulties associated with scoliosis by restoring the integrity of their spine and nervous system. Regardless of its origins, the biggest threat from scoliosis is ignoring the problem.

Scoliosis is easiest to correct in early stages, but there are rarely symptoms then. However, there may be warning signs that include clothing that will not fit properly because of a high shoulder or low hip. Pain in the legs and back that are often dismissed as growing pains may also be an early indicator of the presence of scoliosis in a child.

Through a simple procedure, chiropractors can help victims of scoliosis on the road to recovery and a safer future by helping them recapture their health, posture, and self-esteem.

The process begins with an examination that helps correct the early stages of scoliosis. This is followed by corrective action that may involve bolting a steel rod to the patient’s spinal column. This, along with focused spinal adjustments, can help improve the function and structure of the spine.

There are three other things everyone should know about scoliosis, both to detect and prevent the problem that include:

1. Any sideways curvature is abnormal. The existence of scoliosis can be seen with the presence of two curves — a major curve in one direction and a compensatory curve in the opposite direction — versus a straight spine.
2. The use of devices that hasten early walking may interrupt the crawling stage, which is essential for proper spinal development. Parents can also help their children avoid scoliosis by encouraging them to use both straps on their backpacks and that their load doesn’t exceed 15 percent of their total body weight.
3. Early detection is the key to fighting almost all health problems, and spinal abnormalities are no different. Parents should take their children to a chiropractor soon after they are born and follow those visits up with regular chiropractic care throughout the child’s development.

Allergy Relief Through Chiropractic Care?

The next time you sneeze, it may be a good time to visit a chiropractor. Yes, a chiropractor. Most people never think about it, but chiropractic care can help provide allergy relief.

That’s because chiropractic care, often thought necessary for only back and neck problems, can help with keeping the body operating at peak performance. The body’s immune system helps with preventing disease and infection, dealing with stress and overall well being. The immune system also tackles the invasion in a body of foreign substances such as pollution, dust, dead cells, etc. Current research is showing that there is a direct link between the nervous system and the immune system. Chiropractors remove nerve interference and allow the immune system to work optimally.

The immune system is affected by nerves and hormones. An immune system not operating effectively can:

• Fail to recognize and remove abnormal cells such as those that are cancerous.
• Be unable to fight infections.
• Overreact to things such as bee stings, penicillin, certain foods, pollen etc.
• Become depressed making you more vulnerable to disease.

Allergic reactions are the most frequent immune disorders and happen when the body’s immune system overreacts to allergens such as dust, pollen, pet dander, etc. The response is that the body overproduces neutralizing chemicals such as histamines to correct the problem.
What causes allergies? No one knows for sure. Some theories say it’s our increasing sterile environment. Others suspect the overuse of antibiotics and vaccinations. The idea here is our immune system is at its best when fighting off disease, parasites, and bacteria all by itself. The more we try and help it, the weaker it becomes. It is proven that children who live on farms and are exposed to different animals and the outdoors have fewer allergies than those who are not exposed.
Traditional allergy treatments only deal with the symptom without addressing the cause. This is because western medicine has no cure for allergies. Worse yet, antihistamines used over time or combined with other medication can be deadly. More recently, Canadian researcher Lorne Brandes, in an article published in the May 1994 Journal of the National Cancer Institute, has produced research showing that certain antihistamines (Claritin, Hismanal and Atarax) make cancerous tumors grow faster in lab rodents.

But just how can chiropractors help with such problems?
The answer is simple, chiropractic care releases stress on a patient’s nervous system. This allows the immune system to operate more effectively, which is beneficial to anyone and especially those suffering from allergies.

The chiropractic approach is to remove subluxations, a term for a misaligned spinal vertebra pinching a nerve. Subluxations place stress on the nervous system. Free from nervous system stress, your body will work more effectively to neutralize the allergy-causing chemicals in your environment.
No matter what disease or condition you have, you can benefit from a healthy spine. Spinal health can be as important for your overall healing as proper nutrition. Are you and your family carrying the vertebral subluxation complex in your spines? Only a chiropractic spinal checkup will tell. A healthy spine can improve your life – see your chiropractor for periodic spinal checkups.

Gonstead Chiropractic Technique Explained

Imagine the irony of attempting to correct problems of the musculoskeletal system without trying to identify the source of the problem. In many cases that is how injuries and pain are treated. Pain is treated with medicine that numb the body’s senses and surgery is performed before the root of the problem is identified.

On the other hand, chiropractors who practice using the Gonstead Technique address the whole problem, rather than only treating symptoms or making adjustments that only represent short-term solutions. The Gonstead Technique not only relies on the expert hands of trained chiropractors to help patients, but also helps the body heal without the use of expensive equipment, painful surgery or medications that may result in side-effects.

The practice of Gonstead Chiropractor was developed by Dr. Clarence S. Gonstead (1898-1978). According to a 2003 ranking by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, the Gonstead Technique is the fifth most popular treatment among chiropractors, with just over half (57.2%) of chiropractors using the treatment.

Here is how the Gonstead Technique works. Chiropractors gather a clear understanding of spinal misalignments in each patient using a serious of tests and evaluations. Since the human body is unique and never exactly the same between two people, every patient will have a different set of misalignments. The chiropractor will determine which alignments to correct first and which to address later. They will deliver a very specific adjustment to correct the problem at its source. Correcting the wrong misalignment can cause the spine to compensate in other areas and create other problems.

A Gonstead Chiropractor will adjust the neck with the patient sitting upright as opposed to lying down. A Gonstead chiropractor will also use their hands to perform the adjustment as opposed to an instrument called an activator.

This technique is so and effective that the first Gonstead clinic in Wisconsin would see hundreds of patients a day. The reputation of this clinic spread world wide and today the clinic is over 22,000 square feet with a waiting room to seat 100 people. Not all chiropractors offer the Gonstead Technique because of the time needed to master — and subsequently demonstrate — competency in the method. Yet, as already noted, a study found that more than half of chiropractors believe in the Gonstead Technique.

The GCSS is also charged with validating the technique through continued research and data collection.

The Gonstead Method differs from other approaches by chiropractors because if offers a thorough analysis of a patient’s spine that encompasses five areas:

• Visualization, which cross reference all findings in a patient’s posture and movement which could indicate problems
• Instrumentation through the use of the Nervoscope, a device which detects uneven distributions of heat along the spine which alerts chiropractors to inflammation and nerve pressure
• Static Palpation, a feeling of the spine that detects problems
• Motion Palpation – This also involves feeling the spine as it moves in different directions
• X-Ray Analysis

For more information about the Gonstead Technique, talk to our Fremont chiropractors. Discover Chiropractic is located in Fremont, Ca and Union City, Ca.

Chiropractic Care for Children and Mothers

Chiropractic care for children can mean the difference between a happy child and one plagued by medical problems. Children under regular chiropractic care can also help avoid problems later in life.

Not only is chiropractic care important for children but mothers can also help their children before they are born by seeing a chiropractor. During pregnancy, chiropractic problems that may have been caused as a result of delivery can be treated more effectively the earlier they are addressed.

The prenatal chiropractic checkups a mother has during pregnancy are but one of the ways she can help guarantee her baby will be healthy. Along with a healthy diet, proper exercise and working to achieve a stress-free environment, prenatal chiropractic care can benefit the developing baby and reduce the complications of labor.

But even the delivery process can result in problems for children as a consequence of “subluxations.” Subluxations are areas of the spine that interfere with or distort nerve impulses between the brain and the body. Subluxations are usually a result of pulling, forcing and twisting a baby from the birth canal. These methods, and the resulting subluxations, are far too common. Cesarean section, forceps, suction extraction or eager hands can do unseen damage. Even “natural” birth methods can cause subluxations.

Babies cannot express their pain, but there are signs parents can look for that might indicate a need
chiropractic care:

• Unexplained crying
• Poor appetite
• Breathing problems
• Allergic reactions
• Holding their head to one side or preferring breast feeding from one side (which can be a sign of abnormal spine function and an impaired nervous system)

Ignoring subluxations can result in the impairment of a child’s health from the moment they are born. It can also lead to other problems can appear later in life, including:

• Colic
• SIDS
• Hyperactivity
• Autism
• Chronic earaches or infections from poor drainage from the eustation tube
• Greater risk of catching childhood “bugs” as a result of a weakened immune
  system
• Neglect of “growing pains” that may in fact be only aches or muscle spasms, which left undiagnosed and untreated can lead to chronic, expensive and hard-to-fix problems later in life
• The development of scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine, which left untreated, can result in a patient needing braces, surgery to correct the problem, and or psychological effects such as lack of self confidence.

In toddlers, spinal injury caused by falling while learning to walk can be helped through chiropractic care. Left untreated, bumps caused from falls by toddlers can lead to scar tissue, decrease mobility and arthritis later in life, and may also increase the potential for scoliosis and a weakened immune system. As they age, the need for chiropractic care is even more crucial among children involved with contact sports. The injuries caused by these activities, whether they cause pain or not, can interfere with proper growth during rapid stages of spinal development.

Many spinal problems seen in adults began in childhood. Proper spinal care and maintenance is an important key to better health. Chiropractic care while a child is young can bring relief without the pain associated with surgery or side-effects of drugs. Because children heal faster, most conditions can be corrected quickly.

Chiropractic care not only provides relief from pain, but also helps with proper growth and development in children. Like regular visits to a pediatrician, children should also see a chiropractor often as they grow.

Chiropractic care is important because of its ability to restore the integrity of the nervous system and the workings of every cell and tissue in a child’s body.

As with any treatment, chiropractic adjusting techniques are also modified based on a child’s size, weight and unique spinal misalignments. Parents whose children are under chiropractic care frequently report that their children seem healthier than others their age. Chiropractic care is also very successful in treating many childhood ailments such as ear aches, asthma, hyper-activity, and colic.

Recommended treatments may include specific spinal adjustments, recommendations on exercise, nutritional advice or other conservative methods of care based on health history, age and lifestyle (factors which are considered for both children and adults).

Chiropractic Care and Your Central Nervous System

In the one hundred plus years of its development, Chiropractic science has grown to major stature in the field of the healing arts and has reached millions of people. With the rate of growth steadily increasing, the Chiropractic profession has found a continuing need to acquaint new patients with the nature of Chiropractic care. This tour has been prepared to serve that purpose.

The modern Chiropractor works both directly and indirectly with the nervous system. Every function of the body is under the control of this system. Every organ, tissue, and cell is controlled by nerve impulses traveling from the brain to all parts of the body. Nerves make the bowels move. Nerves control the liver, lungs, spleen, pancreas, gall bladder, and kidneys. In fact, the nervous system is the master system which controls all other systems of the body, including: the glandular, reproductive, digestive, eliminative, respiratory, and circulatory.

Every science of healing has what is known as an avenue of approach For example, in the field of medicine, a hypodermic needle injects drugs through the skin; a pill is swallowed and goes into the stomach. They are the avenues through which the drugs gain access to the body.

In the field of Chiropractic, the avenue of approach is the spine. The spine houses and protects the spinal cord, the “switchboard” of the nervous system through which nerve fibers pass from the brain to different parts of the body. For every effect there must have been a cause. The nerves leave the spinal cord through openings between movable spinal bones called vertebrae. When vertebrae through injury or posture become misaligned they interfere with the normal function of these nerves. This misalignment causes pain and malfunction of the nervous system and is called a “subluxation.” The subluxation then becomes the cause of pain.

The objective of Chiropractic care is to determine, through x-ray films and a thorough examination, the exact degree of spinal misalignment producing this subluxation. Proper “adjustments” are given to remove these subluxations and this remove the cause of pain and malfunction.

Chiropractic care will add years and years to your life.

« Previous Page