The Joy of Sinus Season

By Bob Cox

Every spring, we experience the wonders of nature in full bloom. The days grow longer, the skies become bluer, our trees fill out and the wild grasses transform into vibrate shades of green. When the birds and bee’s take a break from doing what they’re famous for, those little honey making marvels get busy pollinating as much as they can for as long as they can. And yet, while many revel in the majesty of spring, there are many more that suffer silently from the annoying symptoms of allergies. On those blustery days when the winds from the delta kick up and spread an assortment of allergens, it truly becomes something to sneeze at, again and again.

Kelly Matts has been an ardent supporter of chiropractors for many years. Before moving to California, she had seen a chiropractor while living in Ohio for a variety of ongoing issues due to numerous car accidents. Her chiropractor used a specialized gun that helped her get immediate relief from chronic back and neck pain.

After moving to the golden state, she chose to see Dr. Blakely, primarily because Dr. Blakely uses that very same gun. From that first visit over two years ago, Kelly has loved her ever since! While also getting amazing results from Dr. Blakely for her chronic back and neck issues, Kelly told Dr. Blakely how badly she had been suffering from severe headaches caused by sinus issues. Nothing she did seemed to help.

Dr. Blakely told her that she could help her by using that wonder gun to relieve the pressure in her sinuses. At first, Kelly was skeptical as Dr. Blakely applied the gun to her face, targeting her cheeks and forehead. However; in a matter of mere minutes, relief came and it actually worked! Nowadays, as soon as Kelly feels the familiar pressure begin to build in her sinuses, she makes a bee line to Dr. Blakely’s office.

Kelly was so impressed, she recommended Dr. Blakely to a friend who also endured severe sinus issues. “My friend had suffered really badly from sinuses for years and I finally took pity on her one day after she came to our house with a horrible sinus infection. Her doctor did everything he knew to do, but could not take care of the problem. She had been to several doctors for years and I finally told her to see my chiropractor. She agreed and after just one visit, she said she was 75% better! I now call Dr. Blakely Wonder Woman, explained Kelly.

If you or someone you know suffers from chronic allergies, put down the box of Kleenex, pick up your phone and call Dr. Blakely today at (916) 944-1444 today. Your sinuses, your doctor and Wonder Woman will thank you!

Why See a Chiropractor for Weight Loss

By Dr. Beth Blakely

For those of you who have made losing weight your New Year’s resolution, I’m confident that with a little help from yours truly, we can get those extra pounds off safely, effectively and permanently.

I believe that most people who chronically struggle with excess weight tend to have an underlying issue that is the root cause to their growing problem. If that underlying issue is not addressed, it’s a losing battle. Actually, it’s a gaining battle as the weight piles on!

I have found that many people who suffer from chronic pain and discomfort tend to over-eat unhealthy food; aka comfort eating.  Some attempt to manage pain by drinking alcohol or taking pain medication, either prescription or over-the-counter.   

While these unhealthy habits are nothing to be ashamed of, the dangerous territory you’ve entered cannot be ignored. Over time, the consumption of alcohol or pain medication can lead to kidney or liver damage and once you have a liver problem, you will not only be unable to lose weight; you will have opened yourself up into some very serious and possibly irreversible health disorders.

Tragically, many people that suffer from chronic pain often live in unnecessary agony because of undetected nerve damage, which can be the underlying problem. My priority is helping my patients learn how to make healthier choices while reducing the unhealthy options that are enemies of more than just the bathroom scale.

I’ve found that the two most common culprits to excessive weight are digestive problems and hormonal imbalances. Both of these disorders are created and exacerbated by an unhealthy and imbalanced diet. Many people are shocked to discover that insulin is actually a hormone, and this important hormone needs to be balanced in order to lose weight. Keeping your blood sugar steady is critically important to the big picture of maintaining a healthy weight and a nourished body.

It’s extremely common for people to be overweight and undernourished at the same time. If you’re having a problem with losing weight and/or keeping it off, the combination of chiropractic treatments and functional medicine may be the answer to your New Year’s resolution. You deserve a trim and healthy body!

Auto Accidents

By Dr. Beth Blakely

If I had a penny for every person that’s been in an auto accident and said they felt fine immediately afterwards, I’d be a penny-aire! In some cases, severe whiplash can be detected immediately after a mishap. However, a whiplash injury which is caused by a sudden impact may take hours, days or even weeks before symptoms are noticed.

The most common symptoms of whiplash include: headaches, irritability, dizziness, stiff or painful neck, loss of neck motion, back pain, numbness, tingling in limbs, dizziness, loss of balance, nausea, muscle spasm, swelling, ringing in ears, early arthritis, bursitis, neuritis, tendinitis, nervous anxiety, double vision, night blindness, pinched nerves and painful joints.

Statistically speaking, a sprain or strain type of injury to the neck is 6.5 times more likely to develop into arthritis later in life and roughly 50% of accident victims sustain injuries to the low back. Of these, 15% will develop serious nerve damage down the road.

So, if you drive a large car or truck, the likelihood of you getting seriously injured is much lower, right? Wrong. A vehicle that is designed to sustain minimal damage on impact absorbs much of the impact’s force and transmits most of it to its occupants. This type of collision can cause significant injury.

When it comes to auto accidents, which gender gets hurt the most, men or women? The answer is women. In general, a woman's lighter musculature means that she will have a higher incidence of injury.

If the pain you are experiencing today is related to a minor fender-bender years ago, you can get help to lead a more active life. Our customized treatment plans have helped victims of auto accidents and we’ve seen excellent results. Our goal is to relieve pain and restore as much function as possible so that you can get back to enjoying life again.

Her Hips Do not Lie

By Bob Cox

If you have ever experienced back pain, you’re not alone. According to recent estimates, you are sadly part of the majority as approximately 60% to 80% of Americans will get at least mild back pain at some time in their lives. A study done by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality back in 2007 reported that about 27 million U.S. adults aged 18 or older (11% of the total adult population) had back pain that year and a total of $30.3 billion was paid to providers, including doctors, physical therapists, pharmacies and others.

When Vernall Hutcheson began to experience severe pain in her lower back, she was part of the unfortunate majority. She got a break a couple months ago when she picked up a copy of Go For It Magazine. “I saw Dr. Blakely’s article and I thought maybe I'd give her a try. I was having really bad pain on my right side from the hip down to my toes. I had an MRI exam two months ago and they said I had a degenerative disc and a bulging disc which was causing all the pain”, explained Hutcheson.

Hutcheson’s options were limited, but she followed her son’s advice to see a chiropractor. “I never really had a positive image of chiropractors but he said I should give it a try. I can't take pain medicine because they don't relieve the pain, so I was running out of choices. I’ve always believed in conventional medicine but I’ve recently become more open about unconventional medicine and holistic health”, said Hutcheson.

Hutcheson’s open minded approach to her own health has yielded remarkable results and she credit’s much of her success to Dr. Blakely. “I’ve been going to Dr. Blakely now for two months. With the combination of adjustments from Dr. Blakely and acupuncture, I have more energy and I'm practically pain free. I just turned 63 and before seeing Dr. Blakely, I wasn't able to stand up without being in excruciating pain and there was no way I could walk a long distance. This past Friday; however, I actually walked a mile! I'm just very excited and so happy I can move around and do things again. I'm so glad that I discovered Dr. Blakely. She's very personable and she combines the holistic approach with conventional medicine and I feel very comfortable with her. She's very professional and this is my first experience with the chiropractor and I'm very pleased and sold”, exclaimed Hutcheson! 

Garbage Bags are not Parachutes!

The Upper Cervical Specialist

By Dr. Blakely

Not all chiropractors use the same techniques. I am an upper cervical specialist, but I also adjust all the segments of the spine that are misaligned and need to be adjusted. Cervical is the neck and my goal is to realign the very top of the head and neck to get it back into the perfect position.

I chose to become an upper cervical specialist because this region of the spine has a huge impact on overall health and well being. How can this be? Well, the brain is housed inside your skull and then there's an opening at the base of the skull where the brain stem and spinal cord pass down into the spinal canal. If that very first vertebra is misaligned, it can affect all the organ systems when it pinches your brain stem and spinal cord at the top of your neck. Misalignment can affect your muscle control mechanisms, causing changes in your posture. Misalignment can impact your digestive system, gallbladder, heart rate, blood pressure and even your immune system.

There are a lot of doctors that will only perform upper cervical adjustments and I certainly understand why. The reason I adjust the rest of the joints and spine is because a lot of times people have had problems for many years before they seek care. Over extended periods of time, they often have degeneration in these other joints and we need to realign all the segments of the spine.

Talk show host Montel Williams did a feature on one of his programs about how he had suffered from low back pain for many years and he thought it was because of his MS. And then he started getting upper cervical work and lo and behold, his low back pain resolved.

What I have found in my practice is that about 25% of my patients with chronic low back pain, the cause was misalignment in their head and neck. Somewhere along the line, they were in an accident or injury and misaligned their head and neck, which consequently affected their lower back.

If you go to a conventional chiropractor and they keep adjusting your low back, it may never fix the problem because it’s not getting at the source. For this reason, we ask every patient to complete a lengthy questionnaire. We want to know what’s happened to you from day one to get to the source of the problem. It's quite common for it to take about 7 years for your spine to degenerate enough to realize that you actually have an issue. I hear all kinds of stories from people about how they were injured during childhood and forgot about the incident, including all the guys that have jumped off a roof during childhood. Just remember this: Garbage bags are not parachutes! 

Finding Relief from Arthritis

By Bob Cox

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one-fourth of the adult U.S. population suffers from arthritis. Overall, 22.7% (52.5 million) of adults reported doctor-diagnosed arthritis. The prevalence of arthritis increases with age and is higher among women (23.9%) than men (18.6%) in every age group.

Arthritis is defined by The Mayo Clinic as inflammation in one or more of the joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The main goals of arthritis treatments are to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.

Just before Joeetha Conley first saw Dr. Blakely, she was experiencing an increasing level of pain and fatigue caused by arthritis. “I started seeing Dr. Blakely’s shortly after she had helped my husband. I was in a lot of pain and was really tired”. I was suffering from arthritis and had a lot of pain and stiffness. I also felt tired all the time. My doctor had told me that the prednisone I was taking had made me anemic and that was likely why I was so tired”, said Joeetha.

With the help of Dr. Blakely, Joeetha has a renewed sense of optimism and a healthy outlook on life. “I'm not tired like I used to be and I feel better each time I see Dr. Blakely. She has really changed my life. About a month ago, my Rheumatologist said could go off the prednisone since I was only taking two and a half milligrams. Even with that low dosage, I was experiencing chronic fatigue. With the combination of adjustments and supplements I’m taking, I’m feeling much better”, explained Joeetha.

Along with getting relief from arthritis, Joeetha has received other health benefits that she credits Dr. Blakely with. “My digestive system was really messed up and she recommended aloe vera and has really helped. Even though I haven't been able to completely get rid of my arthritis, it’s much better. Dr. Blakely is a really wonderful and caring person”, said Joeetha.

April Peracchi’s Road to Recovery

Q: What was your life like before you met Dr. Blakely?

A: I suffered for years from chronic pain and severe tendinitis. I've been a homemaker for about 20 years I think my injuries were due to repetitive tasks. Anyone who has had tendinitis knows how excruciating it can be. Eventually, one of my arms completely froze up and became useless. Until you lose the functionality of one of your limbs, you don’t really realize everything you need two hands and arms for, like eating, picking up a gallon of milk, doing your hair, showering and everything else.

Q: What steps did you take to get your health back?

A: I ended up going to physical therapy to get movement back in my arm and also started seeing my first chiropractor. I got a pretty good amount of success and wanted to progress but when I didn’t after a couple of years, I started seeing Dr. Blakely.

Q: How was Dr. Blakely different from your first chiropractor?

A: I went in and had an interview with her and she taught me a lot about supplements, vitamins and minerals. I was extremely skeptical and had previous issues with vitamins bothering my stomach. I had tried everything else and had been suffering for about ten years with pain in my back, shoulder, neck and tendinitis. So, I started taking the supplements that targeted the inflammation I had in my body, which was causing a lot of my pain. She also asked me to change my diet pretty drastically and sure enough, I started feeling relief almost immediately in all areas of my body!

Q: What were the biggest changes that you received and how long did they take to achieve?

A: Well, I started to notice a decrease in pain pretty much right away. Before Dr. Blakely, my pain was about an eight, on a scale from 1-10. I would say my pain now is probably at about a two, if I even experience it. She’s basically allowed me to be pain free.

Q: So what kinds of activities are you now able to do that you couldn’t do before?

A: Mainly just living life in general. I can do all kinds of stuff every day like housework, yard work and running errands with the kids. I take care of my 91 year old grandmother and that requires a lot of lifting and I’m able to do all that fairly comfortably and be happier doing it. My success with Dr. Blakely is still an ongoing process and it takes dedication to the program she set up for me to maintain a healthy spine and lifestyle.

Editor’s notes: Dr. Beth Blakely is a chiropractor that specializes in holistic health care practices. She can be reached at (916) 944-1444.

One Life after an Auto Accident

By Bob Cox

When Kristina Holm-Bittner was involved in a car accident two days before Thanksgiving last year, she knew she was in trouble. Her doctor ordered x-rays but they didn’t find anything wrong. Unfortunately, Kristina’s neck and back continued hurting for several months.

She was at church one day and was sharing her experience with a lady friend who recommended that she see Dr. Beth Blakely. Kristina told her she was extremely skeptical of chiropractors and that she couldn’t afford it, but her friend recommended that she go see her at least one time for a thorough consultation and evaluation.

Fortunately, Kristina took her friend’s advice and she’s getting her life back. I had the opportunity to speak to Kristina the other day about her experience working with Dr. Blakely.

Q: What symptoms did you have after your car accident?

A: I had pain in my neck and lower back and was getting by on pain medication. When I first met Dr. Blakely, I had a real positive feeling and was impressed by her. She helped me understand her whole treatment process. She began by recommending that I see a pain consult doctor and ask for an MRI, which my regular doctor did not do. The pain consult doctor gave me two epidural injections and the pain in my knee that I had for years completely disappeared! They told me that my knee pain originated in my back and probably got worse because of the accident.

Q: Why were you skeptical of chiropractors?

A: I was really, really skeptical because I’m a nurse.

Q: What else has Dr. Blakely done specifically to help you?

A: Her adjustments have really helped. When I first came in, she measured my legs and said that one leg was shorter than the other and that we needed to get my spine in alignment. I was really skeptical and thought that was bogus, but her adjustment worked! I can really feel the difference after each adjustment. I also mentioned that my vitamin D level was low, despite following my doctor’s recommendations for the previous three years. She suggested that I increase my dosage eight times and I thought “What?”, but I did and it worked! My daughter had the same problem, so I told her what Dr. Blakely recommended, so she’s helped my daughter too! The last time I went to the doctor, my vitamin D level was normal.

Q: How much better do you feel after seeing Dr. Blakely?

A: Since I started seeing her last February, my neck does not bother me at all and it’s 100% better! My back is still not right, but I’m at least 60%-70% better. We do a lot of lifting and a lot of hard physical work in health care, so I really need my health. That’s why I decided to continue to see her two times a month. Dr. Blakely has made a big difference in my life!