Sometimes a Horse is a Zebra

You would think that a complaint of knee pain would be pretty straight-forward. After all, the patient was training for a marathon and running several miles each week and, very likely, straining the knee. Some adjustments, some good nutrition and supporting supplementation, and off you go.

But is it really that straight forward? I did not accept that it was when this 28 year old female patient walked into my office. She was a conditioned athlete who was accustomed to running long distances. Nothing had changed in her routine that would have resulted in knee pain. Sure, she was training for a marathon, but so what? Her other knee was fine.

My first step was to test all of the muscles around the knee. After all, muscles move and stabilize a joint. Muscle imbalances were found. The IT band, which goes from the hip to the knee, and the gluteus medius, which is the main stabilizer of the hip, were both weak. Because these muscles were weak,the knee was not properly stabilized. And, hence, the knee pain. Well, yes. But, why were the muscles weak in the first place?

Further testing of the nervous system revealed spinal subluxations that caused impingement of a nerve and the subsequent weakness of the gluteus medius muscle. (It's like putting a kink in the garden hose and the water stops flowing. Put pressure on the nerve and the message doesn't get to the muscle, and the muscle doesn't work. Same concept.) But, what caused the spinal subluxation? And, if the nerve interference was causing weakness of the gluteus medius muscle, could that same nerve interference affect other systems of the body? I think so.

In fact, further examination revealed that the patient had uterine fibroids and had been menstruating non-stop for 3 months. Could this internal dysfunction cause a reflex back to the spine and be the cause of the subluxation that ultimately set up the muscle imbalances and subsequent knee pain? I think so.

So, my treatment protocol for knee pain, a musculoskeletal condition, now involves addressing uterine fibroids, a condition associated with estrogen dominance. To only recommend nutritional supplements to reduce pain and inflammation in the knee would merely be a treatment of symptoms and would not address the cause of the knee pain.

Because the knee is the presenting symptom, I do recommend anti-inflammatory nutrients that include fish oils, bromelain, turmeric, and vitamin C with bioflavanoids. However, critical for overall health and healing are the nutrients that I recommend for the uterine fibroids... because sometimes knee pain is more than just knee pain.


References:

Nisolle M, Gillerot S, Casanas-Roux F, Squifflet J, Berliere M, Donnez J. Immunohistochemical study of the proliferation index, oestrogen receptors and progesterone receptors A and B in leiomyomata and normal myometrium during the menstrual cycle and under gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist therapy. Hum Reprod. 1999 Nov;14(11):2844-50.

Out of the hands of babes...

I am embarassed to say that my 3-year old does not like to be adjusted. Flat out refuses. Today, in an attempt to convince her to get adjusted, I suggested that we first adjust her Teddy bear. Well, my daughter has always been very independent and insists on doing everything herself. And, so, she thought that she should be the one to adjust her Teddy. Whatever it takes, right?

She started by gently placing her hand on Teddy's chest. Her other hand, she placed on Teddy's face. She then proceeded to wring Teddy's neck. First twisting one way - you'd think that Teddy was an owl! And then she twisted the other way! All, with a grimace on her face. Finished, she gently patted Teddy on the head and smiled up at me sweetly.

Now, that's the sort of thing that gives chiropractic a bad name! We don't do that!

Here's what really happens. Chiropractors correct subluxations. A subluxation is a misalignment of a bone, typically a spinal vertebrae. When the vertebrae is misaligned, there may be interference to the spinal nerve that exits the spinal column between the spinal vertebrae. Interference of the spinal nerve may cause pain, tingling, numbness, muscle spasm or muscle weakness, or potential dysfunction of other systems of the body.

To correct the subluxation, the chiropractor, a trained professional, applies a controlled force to the joint in order to restore normal movement of the joint. The adjustement rarely causes discomfort. On the contrary, an adjustment often provides immediate relief of symptoms.

I am happy to report that Teddy is doing fine. My daughter is also well adjusted, chiropractically speaking, now that her misconceptions (and subluxations) have been corrected.

Cowboys and Chiropractic

A guy sauntered into my clinic last week inquiring about getting adjusted. He had been living in Texas and now, back in Minnesota, he was looking for a new chiropractor. After a boisterous introduction, he announced that he did not want to become an annuity. Responding to my obvious look of incomprehension, he continued. "You know," he drawled. "I don't want to be a chiropractic annuity - I don't want to be adjusted all the time!"

Oh, that. Every chiropractor hears that. At dinner parties, art exhibits, even the grocery store. Definitive pronouncements. "Once you get adjusted, you will always have to be adjusted." I'm always amused, amazed really, that people will take a prescription medication, ad infinitum, without even questioning the wisdom of the television commercial that recommended the brightly colored pill in the first place. And yet they are afraid to get a chiropractic adjustment for fear that they'll be hooked for life.

Webster's dictionary defines annuity as "a sum of money payable yearly or at other regular intervals." So far, so good, right? If the ultimate goal for retirement is financial security, an annuity just may be a wise addition to a retirement plan. Provided there are financial gains. The same is true in health. Make wise investments that provide for gains in health and, ultimately, healthy aging.

Regular chiropractic adjustments are a crucial component in the investment of good health. To enhance that chiropractic adjustment and really make that visit to the chiropractor a worthwhile investment, you just may need some added nutritional support.

Imagine, if you will, that you are experiencing some stress. Chronic stress leads to the depletion of vitamin C. Vitamin C is required for maintaining connective tissue. Connective tissue is required for the integrity of ligaments. Ligaments stabilize joints. Still with me? In other words, if you are deficient in vitamin C, there is the potential that your ligaments are not properly stabilizing your joints. Unstable joints require repeated adjustments. And, there, you have become a chiropractic annuity.

My advice, then, to the urban cowboy would be to make wise investments and to avoid bankruptcy. Nutritional bankruptcy is the depletion of nutrients that are required to maintain overall health, including joint health. A chiropractic adjustment is an excellent investment in your health. Adding proper nutrition and supplementation will maximize your return on that investment. And, as with all investments, everyone is going to have a unique investment plan.

I am glad to say that I am a chiropractic annuity. Regular chiropractic adjustments, good nutrition, and appropriate supplementation of vitamins, minerals, and herbs are my investments in health.

Bunraku

I've been asked. I've been cajoled. I've been told. Alas, the bunraku puppet masters of my life have conspired to have me blog.

I am Candace Salmi, a doctor of chiropractic. And certified clinical nutritionist. My path to becoming a chiropractic doctor began with an interest in nutritional health and healing, and a strong desire to teach about the effects that food and nutrition have on health. It turns out that my decision to attend Chiropractic College was inspired. I was introduced to the beauty and complexity of the human body. And the potential to fall from the grace of health. Health is multidimensional, affected by the synchronizations of our environment, our actions, our choices, our thoughts, and our emotions.

Is this the stuff of blogs? Apparently, everything and anything is the stuff of blogs. Hence, my fear of blogging, of becoming irrelevant in a sea of competing information. My goal here, then, is relevance. And mastery.

Currently, I am pursuing my Masters in Nutrition. While chiropractic teaches us about the supremacy of the nervous system, nutrition claims the supremacy of biochemistry. Yet other health fields claim the supremacy of their art, their science, their dogma. And so, what, or where, is the path back to health?

The true magic of bunraku - traditional Japanese puppetry - occurs when a combination of highly refined artistic disciplines comes together to achieve an extraordinarily complex, multidimensional performance. It takes years of intense training to become a master, the main puppet master.

I am 15-plus years into my training as a chiropractor and clinical nutritionist. Everyday brings something new, something truly amazing... healing. A multidimensional art and science found at the intersection of the healer and the healed. Now, that's magic.