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Excerpted from the 1/04 - 4/04 Newsletter


TABLE OF CONTENTS Go to Top


Research Review: Motion Sickness Table of Contents | Top of page

Some people are plagued by motion sickness - dizziness and nausea when in a moving vehicle. People who get "sea sick", "air sick", or "car sick" may be totally disabled by their symptoms, or they may just experience a mild queasiness. For someone prone to motion sickness, any additional source of dizziness and nausea can make travel a burden.
Dizziness can be related to misalignments or restrictions (subluxations) of the vertebrae in the neck. Clinical studies by both chiropractic and medical research teams have demonstrated substantial relief for some dizziness sufferers after correction of cervical subluxations. Nausea and indigestion have been shown to respond well to chiropractic correction of subluxation in the area between the shoulder blades. 
Taken together, the studies on dizziness and nausea constitute a good argument for a chiropractic evaluation prior to travel. While an adjustment may not be able to forestall motion sickness symptoms altogether, preventing any subluxation-generated aggravation just makes good sense.
In addition to chiropractic care, consider these other steps to prevent dizziness and nausea without risking the side effects of motion sickness drugs:

  • Avoid reading in a moving vehicle. The eye strain involved in focusing on moving/vibrating printed matter tends to make motion sickness worse.
  • Focus on deep diaphragmic breathing. If you don't know how to do this type of breathing, ask one of the doctors. A recent British study indicates that this simple measure can significantly reduce motion sickness symptoms.
  • Ginger root is a traditional remedy for nausea and indigestion. A recent study from Taiwan demonstrated that 1,000 mg of ginger root taken 30-60 minutes before travel can prevent much of the discomfort of motion sickness. For travel lasting several days, 2,000-4,000 mg is recommended. (Note: While ginger root is not a drug in the conventional sense of the word, the amounts discussed here exceed those typically used in cooking and flavoring. These dosages should not be taken if you are pregnant, if you plan a surgical procedure within 3 weeks, or if you suffer from gallstones. If you are on any medication, please check with your pharmacist or medical doctor before using any herb for a non-culinary purpose.)
  • Finally, acupressure at a point on the wrist (approximately 3 finger-widths from the crease of the palm) was found to be effective in easing motion sickness. The acupressure can be applied continually during travel by using a wrist band, which is readily available at many drug stores and supermarkets.

Research References Available on Request

 Aging Bilaterally and All Over  Table of Contents | Top of page

"Of course you have left (or right) sciatica at your age!" (Misinformation.)

"I guess that side hurts because I'm getting old." (Misinformation.)

"Unless you've left out an important part of your history, your body is the same age all over!" (Truth)

There are all sorts of influences encouraging people to blame all of their aches and pains on aging. While it is undeniable that the body does change with age, blaming all of your aches and pains on your age is not constructive or even realistic.

Think of pain as a smoke alarm. The alarm, if the batteries are kept up, doesn't go off because it's old. The pain "alarm" goes off because there's "smoke", which means there's fire. Most fires can be put out, or at least reduced to a smolder. Don't blame the age of the smoke alarm; take care of the fire.

Look around you the next time you're in the office. There are people of all ages coming in to have the interference or static removed from their nervous systems. They're all aging, as certainly as the earth is turning, even the toddlers. Their "static" is not strictly due to the amount of time they've spent on the planet - yours probably isn't either. 
Again, don't blame the age of the smoke alarm.

"I've Still Got It!" Table of Contents | Top of page

This is an extremely busy urban-suburban area, and very few of us have schedules that will brook many more additions. Regular chiropractic care will usually keep you as healthy and pain free as your genes, lifestyle and luck (not necessarily in that order) will allow. We understand your dismay and stress when, despite everyone's best efforts, you find yourself having an acute episode or flare-up of some kind. "I (we) don't have time for this!" Nevertheless, an acute episode calls for more frequent visits than usual, and skipping visits creates problems.

When we are helping you through a pain episode, please stick to the schedule recommended for you. We all know people who seem to have an entire drug store at home, because they never take the full course of medication. They only stay on track long enough to feel marginally functional, then they quit. They're always amazed to find that they've "still got it". By the same token, if you skip acute care visits and then reappear a month later complaining that you've "still got it", your body has had time to backslide.

Any visits scheduled for you at this office are scheduled with your specific health needs in mind. This includes factoring in the amount of travel necessary to get here, as well as respecting the time already needed to live your specific life. If you are thinking of skipping acute care visits due to time or economic concerns, please speak to us about them. We will always work with you, within reason. Our goal is the same as yours, to get you not just marginally functional, but really well again, as quickly as possible.


This Newsletter is Copyright © Drs. Marion Todres and Charles Masarsky, Chiropractors. All Rights Reserved.


 

Copyright © Vienna Chiropractic Associates, P.C. All Rights Reserved.