Shoes and back pain usually go together. Daily shoes should be comfortable and good for your gait, as well as your body. If you want to get a tight ‘bottom’ go to the gym!

Our feet, legs, hips, trunk, and neck up to our head have supporting muscles throughout. These muscles have to be equally strong bilaterally, or on both sides of our body to maintain correct posture. The muscles, joints, and bones, starting from the feet, up to your head, should line up correctly to make your body stand and function properly. This is called the kinetic chain. Most people think posture just involves standing up straight, but this also incorporates ALL of these supportive muscles throughout our body. This stance can affect nervous system and circulation function as well. We all know shoes and back pain usually involve high heels. “Rocker Bottom” style shoes are a hidden danger most people don’t even consider when they complain of back pain, joint pain or even headaches. In my next post, I’ll explain how this may happen.

Zinc, generally in the form of sublingual lozenges, according to the American College of Physicians and other sources, has been proven to be effective in reducing the severity and duration of the common cold and flu. Zinc builds the immune system by causing an expansion of immune cells.  A deficiency causes abnormal development of immune organs. Of course there are countless mechanisms within these two statements, and the importance of zinc in these mechanisms is not to be taken lightly. Zinc has been found to help with prostate, nail health, and the reduction of Alzheimer’s symptoms, to name a few.  The RDA for zinc is only 15 mg/day, however, it used to be provided in our diet years ago by way of richer soil, and galvanized (zinc coated) cooking utensils and water pipes! We now recommend about 25 mg/day now, or more, as there are many zinc antagonists in our diet. Good food sources include oysters, milk, (organic -hormone free) meat, unprocessed wheat, grains, and green leafy vegetables, (preferably organic from soil that hasn’t been over-farmed!) One study reports that taking more than 150mg/day can be detrimental to the immune system, so be careful not to overdo it.  My next post will cover echinacea, and other natural immune builders you can take on your own.

The first subject we’ll talk about is fish.  Besides mercury and PCB’s, there is the issue of endangerment and harming other wildlife in the process of catching the fish.  We all know about dolphin safe tuna, so I won’t get into that. I will, however, mention the issue of farm raised verses wild. Salmon, for instance, is more popular now than ever due to it’s cancer-fighting, heart-healthy properties.  The problem arises, when we see a label that reads, “ Maine, Washington, or Canada”.  We tend to feel comfortable with those places, as why would they have any reason to farm-raise salmon, when it’s found naturally in those waters?  Well, the bulk of salmon comes from those places today, and it IS farmed!! Alaska has banned salmon farms, for the following reason…  One study of farm raised salmon in British Columbia, found that compared to wild salmon, they were higher in pesticides and PCBs!  This is the reason we do not recommend children eat it more than once a week. Net-penned salmon are their own source of pollution, as the pens fill with the salmon’s own excrement, they are being bombarded with antibiotics.  Wild salmon caught in Alaska is cleaner, healthier, and provides the fishermen there with the living they deserve to make.  Watch the shrimp too, check out the Arizona Sweet Shrimp, grown here in AZ, using NO antibiotics, or pesticides!  Other fish to avoid is cod, swordfish, flounder, orange roughy, Atlantic halibut, and more.  To find out more on this subject, go to Seafood Watch‘s website, www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp. Remember one of my favorite sites, www.ewg.org. Go to the site, and search TUNA CALCULATOR and answer the questions to find out how much canned tuna you can safely eat in a week.

Another buzz term these days is Shade Grown Organic Coffee. Coffee grown in shaded areas is better for that country’s environment than that which is grown in the full sun.  Those large plantations have clear-cut environments to grow coffee in easy to harvest rows.  These varieties require MORE chemicals, and the deforestation has needlessly destroyed habitats for many plants and animal species. The huge plantations have caused coffee prices to plummet. These farms also do not provide the proper income for the farmers, causing them to go OVER THE BORDER to other countries to make their living. In one Mexican state, 500 families a week leave because they can no longer make a living.

Organic, Hormone-Free milk is yet, another buzz term we see on labels. Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone, or rBGH, is a generically engineered protein that increases milk production.  Monsanto, by the way, holds the patent on rBGH! The dairy industry is dominated by megafarms, where cows are machine milked, (THIS CUTS VALUBLE JOBS!) confined mainly to the barnyard, fed hay and grain from fields sprayed with pesticides, and routinely given antibiotics to prevent disease. ( Milk from grass-fed cows, is higher in Conjugated Linoleic Acid, which has been proven to fight cancer in lab animals, and reduce body fat and build lean muscle in humans!) Economically, it is more expensive to drink organic milk, as the farmers have said, “..it isn’t easy. Someone has to pay for the added expense.” It also costs more to pay the help to milk the cows, and keep them grazing in open ranges. (What’s one less cocktail at the clubhouse?)

Well I hope this clarifies some things for you, it’s easy to throw these terms around, but I hope now you understand them. READ YOUR LABELS, TALK TO YOUR GROCER, AND ASK BEFORE YOU PUT SOMETHING IN YOUR MOUTH!

Leisa-Marie Grgula, D.C.
20235 N. Cave Creek Rd.
Suite #110
Phoenix, AZ 85024

This past week I was sitting at the front desk and leaned forward quickly to pick up something from the floor.  As I bent down in the office chair, it rolled forward, and I hit my forehead on the front desk. OUCH! Immediately, I had a horizontal bump across my forehead. I iced immediately, and applied Traumeel Cream, a homeopathic cream for trauma and bruises. Within about 10 minutes, the bump was down to a tiny spot, and in 24 hours, it was entirely gone!  For this situation, ice is always the best decision to reduce the swelling. I find  Traumeel Cream is also the best remedy for the bruising and swelling. I really don’t think I’ve ever seen swelling reduced so quickly. I even thought I’d get 2 black eyes after a trauma like that, but within minutes, it was virtually gone. When answering the above question on ice or heat for pain such as acute back pain, I tell patients to think of your injury like a bump on our head. Applying heat might feel really good, however the bump would be larger and the pain would get worse, as the swelling would increase. This would definitely fall under the answer, “When in doubt, ice”.

Over the weekend, (I was on a roll!) I was watering my garden on Saturday morning, and while I was looking around for other plants to water, I tripped on the cement pavers. I fell  forward onto both palms, and both knees. As a chiropractor I can work with bruised kness, but NOT with bruised hands! I instantly knew this was going to be a disaster and attempted to brace myself in mid air trying to fall slower. I attribute the plyometric exercises like those I do in boot camp each week to my ‘gentle fall’. The fast moving muscle work I’ve been doing must have allowed me to shift my body in such a way that I did not even scratch up my knees, and I ended up with only a small scratch on the heel of my left hand. (The major force point I use daily as a Chiropractor). Again, I immediately iced, applied Traumeel Cream, and took the sublingual Traumeel tablets throughout the day. My right knee swelled a little, and there were virtually no marks on either knee. I bruised a vein on my right palm, and saw some slight bruising around it. The next morning, my body felt like whiplash after a car accident, everything hurt. The impact of my body hitting the cement was absorbed by my muscles, causing pain and soreness throughout my body. At that point, I took a hot bath with  Jadience Muscle and Joint Formula added to the water. In this situation, the moist heat of the bath, and the Chinese herbs in the Jadience Formula assisted in relaxing the muscles. The by-products of  the trauma in the muscles were pushed out, and therefore allowed my muscles to function properly. To answer the question, ” Ice or Heat For Muscle Pain?” Moist heat or a hot bath with herbs, or at least Epsom salts to assist in flushing out the muscles is the best answer. By Monday morning, I was back running on my treadmill, and I worked the entire day with no discomfort in my hands. Basically business as usual within 48 hours! This wasn’t a miracle, just applying the right treatment for the condition.

To recap, for swelling, and immediately after the trauma, apply ice, and Traumeel. Once the swelling has somewhat subsided, a hot bath with herbs and/or Epsom Salts can be added to assist with pushing out by-product toxins form the muscles.

Leisa-Marie Grgula, D.C.
20235 N. Cave Creek Rd.
Suite #110
Phoenix, AZ 85024

Improper walking, or gait, can be very exhausting to the body. So many patients these days are complaining of fatigue, chronic fatigue, or even just that tired feeling that does not go away. Think about how the foot works for a minute and all of the bones in the foot that have to work properly together to allow us to walk. There are specific parts of the anatomy that cushion our feet while walking. Without going into too much anatomic detail, look at the palms of your hand. Notice the thicker areas of the palm especially down at the bottom or by the thumb. These areas correlate with fatty, and thicker muscle areas of the feet that were designed for the pressure of our body weight to be propelled in a comfortable and efficient way of walking. These are our shock absorbers, so to speak. Still looking at your palms, and picturing the bottom of your foot, consider what it would feel like if you walked on the thinner portions, or the upper or outer ‘pinky’ side of your hands. There is no cushion there. Yes that would hurt! The fatigue comes in when the body has to compensate to prevent this from happening. This is exactly what happens in so much of the population. In our office, we digitally scan patient’s feet to show where the pressure points of the feet should be. A recent study was done on 40 women with flat feet. Half of the women were given custom-designed arch supports and the other 20 women were the control group who did not receive the arch supports. Tests were done initially to determine how much energy was used, including oxygen use and other details. At the end of the first 2 weeks, the women who wore the arch supports found that their calculated energy use was much less. Other studies have been done, including one with police officers in New York, using shock-absorbing inner soles like what we prescribe in our office. The officers showed a decrease in fatigue and foot symptoms. These specifically designed inner soles are also credited to relieve the pain of arthritis in knees, hips, ankles, and the spine. These inner soles actually work like the original fatty/muscular areas of the feet that are not working properly. I always ask patients if they’d dream of driving their car with bad shock absorbers, then why would they walk with bad shock absorbers. Orthotics that are store-bought, are not INDIVIDUALLY designed. They are a cookie cutter style of a few designs that they ‘fit’ for you. Beware of the word custom designed with these stores and brands.

Recent post-graduate classes I’ve taken have taught that pelvic pain of men and women can be caused by improper gait. Testicular pain in men, and ovarian pain in women, once disease is ruled out by their medical doctor, can be caused by the heavy pressure of the body, combined with pelvic bone dysfunction may play an important role in these ‘mystery pains’. Upon prescribing and fitting custom orthotics in our office, the patient’s pelvic pain is diminished greatly.

Lastly, headaches can be caused by improper gait and posture. Should a person carry their weight too far forward, or backward, the pressure can be too much on delicate neck vertebrae. So many patients ask, “Why is my Chiropractor asking me about my feet when my neck and head hurts?” Too many times we see patients carry their neck too far forward, thus causing the smaller neck muscles to overwork to allow the head to stay up. This is commonly caused by their feet working in dysfunction in order to allow them to walk. Once the bones and muscles of the feet, ankles, hips, and spine (kinetic chain) are affected they affect the skull’s position on the spine as well. Everything is properly designed and positioned to avoid this. How does this happen? Over-use and misuse of the feet, spine, and their supporting musculature will interrupt this perfect balance. This is called daily living, and I can help maintain your correct posture and alignment to slow and sometimes stop this process. Custom made orthotics and supportive chiropractic adjustments can help.

Thank you to Nate at www.footlevelers.com for allowing us to use this video.

Leisa-Marie Grgula, D.C.
20235 N. Cave Creek Rd.
Suite #110
Phoenix, AZ 85024

One of the most common reason for kids coming in for chiropractic treatments is ear infections. Please take a minute  to read the testimonial written by Connor’s mom on his course of care here at Accurate Care Pain Relief Center, and his history of ear infections. I started seeing Connor when he was about 18 months old. He suffered from chronic ear infections, and his mom, a physical therapist had done as much as she could have. Working in a hospital, she had the best doctors available to her, and yet Connor still suffered from ear infections regularly. She brought Connor in to my office, and after a thorough exam, I found that he had an allignment problem with the top 2 vertebrae in his upper neck, his atlas and axis. This misalignment is called subluxation. It is what Chiropractic physicians correct when we adjust a patient. Of course the techniques and force used for children is much different and gentler than techniques used on adults. I  worked slowly, and used little toys and stuffed animals to help Connor feel more comfortable trusting me. His mom was there with us, and I would always adjust her first so he could see how good she felt after her treatments. Over time, Connor not only loved being adjusted, but he would jump up to get on the table before his mom!  As you can read in his testimonial, Connor never had another ear infection once beginning his chiropractic manipulations. We’ve also been able to help allign the rest of his spine, helping his gait and posture during his development years.

Starting children on Chiropractic Care here in North Phoenix is easy. As mentioned earlier, we work SLOWLY, have fun, and listen to the child. Even when they are in infancy, although they cannot talk, we can listen to them and let their communication guide us on what they really need. My promise to you is that if I cannot help your child within a very short period of time, a month at the most, I’ll help find another type of pediatric specialist who can.

Next time you come in for your  pain relief, remember I can be your family chiropractor. Please don’t leave your kids at home to develop the same conditions you have. Chiropractic Works!

Leisa-Marie Grgula, D.C.
20235 N. Cave Creek Rd.
Suite #110
Phoenix, AZ 85024

“Unbeknownst to you all including Dr Leisa, this drive has touched me deeply and is important enough to me, to want to help it be as successful as possible, for I do know what it is like to have been one of those “children”.

Once upon a time I had a handsome father a beautiful mother and two beautiful sisters, we were all very happy, and our parents loved to dress us in the prettiest of dresses.  My father especially loved to show us off!  When we would go to a neighborhood restaurant, my dad would place a coin in the junx box and then when the music start he would smile and in a load voice say!  Balla! Dance!  and we would dance till the food came out!  Then my Dad came home from the Navy (USS Darby Submarine Destroyer) at the end of the war.  Little by little we experienced what is called “Post Traumatic Stress” (now not then). Then my parents divorce came, then my mother’s unknown crippling illness appeared, then the loss of her businesses (two beauty salons), then a lot of nothing and a lot of emptiness, then WELFARE.

I know what it is like to tear-up two old pillowcases and sew by hand a blouse for school for I was in our school play “Student Prince” and I could not afford purchasing any blouse, and because I did not want anyone to know we were now very very poor.  Lucky me, my Grandmother taught me how to cook, sew, starch linens and iron them, etc., by 6 yrs old!

I know what it is like to walk  a mile to school in freezing snow without boots or stockings, just shoes with holes and newspaper to cover the hole and walk to school with a faded spring coat that had no lining that I dyed black to disguise the faded areas on the coat.
I know what it is like to stay in your room silently crying alone with my mom on our coach silently crying because we had nothing to exchange so to lessen the pain we all stayed in our rooms silent till the day passed.
I know what it is like to watch my mother, with a small instant coffee jar and use a teaspoon to give each of us a teaspoon of dried coffee and drink it for our breakfast!

My parents divorced, my mother became gravely ill, and spent a year in the hospital with a rare disease, that when it was finally identified it turned out my mother was the 14th person on record to have developed it.  My friends learned my mom craved oranges so they would  bring me oranges and other fruits and vegetables from their backyards, for me to carry to the hospital to give to my mom.
My school counselor was wonderful, one day she pulled me into her office and told me she thought I was so strong because I did not let anyone know what was happening to me and my sisters, that I did a great job of keeping the ship afloat.  I was informed that my grades made me eligible to be part of a program called “CORE”.  All I had to do was maintain a B+ average and good work ethics and I could be part of this government program.  It meant I go to school one full week and then the other week I go to work (40 hrs) alternating throughout the school year and in the summer I worked LEGALLY!  Little did I know I was to have great slivers of sunshine in my life.  I went to work at “One Wall Street” at Irving Trust Company and Bank and at “350 Fifth Avenue” at our branch in the “Empire State Building as a Page!  It was an incredible blessing to be a Page at these two incredible locations.  I would be called to guide dignitaries at each location and give description of the departments and their functions.  I loved my job!!

This meant I no longer babysat at night for single moms during the week and weekends to help my mom shelter,feed and clothes us.  I no longer was a nanny for a family during the summer when I was too young to work legally.  I did these things from the age of 11 yrs old to 14 yrs old Illegally when my counselor intervened.  I worked at Irving Trust Company & Bank  for 8 yrs, till after I married and was pregnant with my first child.

What was my strength?  Thanks to my grandmother my belief system was long established when I was a little girl, and is what I always lean on today.  My Savior and Redeemer is always Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior!

So forgive me for being so bold in asking you to participate in this worthwhile drive!  God bless you whether you can or cannot!  God loves you!” Hazel

Leisa-Marie Grgula, D.C.
20235 N. Cave Creek Road
Suite # 110
Phoenix, AZ 85024