Getting Started Eating Healthy

Take care of each other. Loving hispanic parents serving their little children while having lunch together at home — Loving hispanic parents serving their little children while having lunch together at home. Childhood, parenthood, latin cuisine concept

A typical diet consists of consuming three meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in between. However, this is not always the case, depending on individual eating patterns and habits. Getting started eating healthy and losing body fat does not require severe dietary restrictions, starvation, and constantly exercising. Although achieving rapid weight loss might sound appealing, individuals often end up feeling depressed, tired, and unmotivated after some time. This is the most common cause of not maintaining a healthy balance and achieving optimal health. Individuals can still eat the foods they love by making long-term improvements that include:

Understanding the body’s caloric needs
Making smart nutritional choices
Adopting healthy eating habits
Incorporating enough exercise

Having all of the necessary information to make educated and informative choices for the body is the most effective and valuable way to getting started eating healthy.

Table of Contents

Getting Started

Healthy eating starts with learning and adopting new ways to eat. This means adding fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and cutting back on processed foods with added fat, salt, and sugar. Converting to healthier eating also includes learning about balance, variety, and moderation.

Balance

On most days, aim to eat more:

Grains
Protein foods
Vegetables
Fruits
Dairy
Listen to the body
Eat when hungry
Stop when full and satisfied

Variety

Choose different foods in each food group.
Don’t reach for an apple every time when eating fruit.
Eating various foods every day will help you get all the nutrients you need.

Moderation

Don’t have too much or too little of one food.
Eating in moderation means all foods can be part of a healthy diet.
Even sweets are okay.

Paying Attention To Foods

Eating healthy will help the body get the right balance of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. It will help the body:

Feel its best.
Increase energy levels.
Handle stress better.
Prevent various health problems like:
Heart disease.
High blood pressure.
Type 2 diabetes.
Types of cancer.

Healthy Eating vs. Going On A Diet

Healthy eating is not the same as going on a diet. It means making adjustments/changes that an individual can live with and enjoy. Diets are temporary, as they are intended to cut out certain types of foods to make the body readjust and lose fat. However, during a diet, individuals can become hungrier and think about food all the time. A common side effect is to overeat after the diet to make up for the foods that are missed. Eating a healthy, balanced variety of foods is more satisfying to the body. Combined with more physical activity can help the individual get to a healthy weight—and maintain the healthy weight.

Make Healthy Eating A Habit

Think about the reasons for healthier eating.

Improving overall health.
Increase energy.
Feel better.
Set an example for kids and family.
Think about small changes that can be made.
Choose the ones that can be maintained.
Don’t try to change everything at once.
Set manageable and achievable goals, like having a salad and a piece of fruit each day.
Make long-term goals as well, like having one vegetarian dinner a week.

Get Support

Having a support team can help make the adjustments easier. Family and friends can help make meals, share healthy recipes and cooking tips. For more help, consult a doctor, registered dietitian, or health coach. Get started today.

Body Composition

After Lunch Energy Dip

Most individuals have experienced the moment when after having a nice filling lunch then afterward feeling the need to take a nap. Having a sleepy feeling about one hour after lunch, known as the post-lunch dip, decreases:

Alertness
Memory
Vigilance
Mood

A study in the British Journal of Nutrition followed 80 participants over 12 weeks to find whether eating almonds impacted this post-lunch dip. The results found that an almond-enriched high-fat lunch helped reduce memory decline by 58% compared to a high-carbohydrate lunch.

References

American Dietetic Association (2009). Position of the American Dietetic Association: Functional foods. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 109(4): 735–746. Also available online: www.eatright.org/About/Content.aspx?id=8354.

Dhillon, Jaapna, et al. “Effects of Almond Consumption on the Post-Lunch Dip and Long-Term Cognitive Function in Energy-Restricted Overweight and Obese Adults.” British Journal of Nutrition, vol. 117, no. 3, 2017, pp. 395–402., doi:10.1017/S0007114516004463.

Gallagher ML (2012). Intake: The nutrients and their metabolism. In LK Mahan et al., eds., Krause’s Food and the Nutrition Care Process, 13th ed., pp. 32–128. St. Louis: Saunders.

Katz DL (2008). Dietary recommendations for health promotion and disease prevention. In Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 2nd ed., pp. 434–447. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture (2015). 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans 8th ed. health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/. Accessed January 12, 2016.

Non-Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Dr. Alex Jimenez

Orthopedist explaining spinal cord on human skeleton to elder patient in physiotherapy office. Chiropractor talking to senior man about anatomy and spine bones for osteopathy diagnosis

Spinal cord injuries or SCI’s don’t just happen from intense force/high-energy trauma like hard falls or auto accidents. Non-traumatic spinal cord injuries are more common. However, traumatic spinal cord injuries tend to get the most attention. This can cause problems as it can delay treatment for individuals with a non-traumatic injury. Awareness is vital because spinal cord disorders tend to not get recognized for their impact on overall health.

Table of Contents

Non-traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Non-traumatic spinal cord injuries is an umbrella term that includes several disorders, like:

Degenerative cervical myelopathy
Degenerative spondylosis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Paget’s disease
Multiple sclerosis
Metastatic cancer
Developmental disorders like Spina Bifida and cerebral palsy
Transverse myelitis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease
Friedreich’s ataxia

Understanding these disorders helps determine a correct diagnosis. Degenerative cervical myelopathy or DCM is the most common form of a non-traumatic spinal cord injury. It is a slow progressive injury that causes continued compression usually brought on by spondylosis or osteoarthritis of the spine’s joints. DCM can have a devastating effect on the quality of life if not diagnosed and treated as it can have a ripple effect by raising the risk of falls, leading to a traumatic spinal cord injury. Being aware can help in preventing the damage.

Other Causes and Complications

Other causes for non-traumatic spinal cord injury include:

Nerve damage
Blood supply loss to the spinal cord
Compression from a tumor or blood clot
Infection
Spinal abscess
Atherosclerosis

One of the most significant risk factors is age. This is due to an increased risk of conditions like osteoarthritis and hypertension as individuals get older, which is why individuals with a non-traumatic spinal cord injury are, on average, older than individuals that suffer a traumatic spinal cord injury. Weakness, instability, and loss of muscle control are common complications that can develop as the non-traumatic spinal cord injury progresses. Other complications that can present include:

Chronic pain
Sleep disturbance
Constipation
Urinary incontinence
Urinary tract infections
Impotence
Pressure ulcers/bed sores if immobilized
Possible blood clots that can lead to deep vein thrombosis
Depression and anxiety

Treatment

With a traumatic spinal cord injury, treatment depends on the severity of the injury. With non-traumatic spinal cord injuries, treatment depends on what type of condition is involved. The primary treatment for non-traumatic spinal cord injuries typically involves various forms of rehabilitation to minimize further damage to the spinal cord. Surgery may be necessary if the spine needs to be decompressed.

Body Composition

Extracellular Water and Intracellular Water

Extracellular Water – ECW

Extracellular is the water located outside the body’s cells.
The water in the blood falls into this category.
Around 1/3 of the body’s fluid is attributed to ECW, and this water is found in the interstitial fluid, transcellular fluid, and blood plasma.
This water is important because:
It helps control the movement of electrolytes.
Allows oxygen delivery to the cells.
Clears waste from metabolic processes.

Intracellular Water – ICW

Intracellular is the water located inside the body’s cells.
It comprises 70% of the cytosol, which is a mix of water and other dissolved elements.
It makes up the other 2/3 of the water inside the body.
Intracellular water is important because:
It helps in cellular processes.
Allows molecules to be transported to the different organelles inside the cell.
Picks up where the extracellular water leaves off by continuing the pathway for fuel/energy to be transported to the cells.

References

Badhiwala, Jetan H et al. “Degenerative cervical myelopathy – update and future directions.” Nature reviews. Neurology vol. 16,2 (2020): 108-124. doi:10.1038/s41582-019-0303-0

Handbook of Clinical Neurology (2012) “Spinal Cord Injury.” www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/non-traumatic-spinal-cord-injury

Milligan, James et al. “Degenerative cervical myelopathy: Diagnosis and management in primary care.” Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien vol. 65,9 (2019): 619-624.

Physical Management in Neurological Rehabilitation (2004) “Spinal cord injury.” www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/non-traumatic-spinal-cord-injury

Ankle Instability

Dr. Alex Jimenez

Physiotherapist giving leg massage to a woman in clinic

The ankles provide an essential role in total body function. They work as a complex system within the feet to carry the body’s weight and support movement. Any imbalance can cause ankle instability that can cause other areas of the body to go out of balance. This is most often caused by an injury, like an ankle sprain. If not properly addressed, it can lead to chronic instability and long-term health issues throughout the musculoskeletal system. Chiropractic treatment can rehabilitate ankle injuries, strengthen the muscles to prevent instability.

Table of Contents

Ankle Instability

The entire body is an extensive, complicated, and interconnected system. Every part influences the next as individuals go about their everyday routines. Imbalances can occur in the spine, hips, legs, and knees, leading to limping, ankle pain, or injury. The most common causes of ankle instability include:

Poor foot or ankle mechanics
Knee or hip imbalances
Ankle sprains
Muscle strain
Tendonitis
Arthritis
Fractures
Chronic inflammation from illness or injury.

Finding The Imbalances

Understanding where the imbalances are and systematically addressing them is the recommended course of action. If an ankle injury is present, local symptoms and dysfunction need to be addressed. However, it is important to assess other body areas to ensure any other dysfunctions are also addressed. This prevents unnecessary re-injury, aggravation, and other problems.

Chiropractic

One or more treatment options will be utilized for proper recovery when dealing with ankle instability.

Joint adjustments of the lower body and spine to support nerve and blood circulation.
Foot and ankle compression wraps.
Ultrasound.
Electrical stimulation.
Therapeutic massage of the injured and sore tissues.
Recommendations for activity modification to prevent unnecessary aggravation and increase stability.
Exercise and stretch training.
Health coaching on an anti-inflammatory diet and foods to promote recovery.

Chiropractic is recommended for determining any body imbalances that need to be addressed with high-quality research-based care and can expedite the recovery process.

Body Composition

Compression Garments and Socks

These were only used to treat individuals with circulatory problems but are now available to the public. Recovery is about giving the body a chance to relax, recuperate, and recover from swelling, with the objective to resume physical activity. Compression garments come in shirts, pants, sleeves, and socks. The garments and socks are used for quicker recovery time, improved circulation and oxygen delivery to the muscles, and to reduce lactic acid build-up.

References

Anguish, Ben, and Michelle A Sandrey. “Two 4-Week Balance-Training Programs for Chronic Ankle Instability.” Journal of athletic training vol. 53,7 (2018): 662-671. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-555-16

Czajka, Cory M et al. “Ankle sprains and instability.” The Medical clinics of North America vol. 98,2 (2014): 313-29. doi:10.1016/j.mcna.2013.11.003

Gribble, Phillip A. “Evaluating and Differentiating Ankle Instability.” Journal of athletic training vol. 54,6 (2019): 617-627. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-484-17

Lubbe, Danella et al. “Manipulative therapy and rehabilitation for recurrent ankle sprain with functional instability: a short-term, assessor-blind, parallel-group randomized trial.” Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics vol. 38,1 (2015): 22-34. doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2014.10.001

Functional Treatments For Auto Accidents | El Paso, TX (2021)

Dr. Alex Jimenez

Auto Accident Doctors & Chiropractor Treatments | El Paso, Tx (2020)

Table of Contents

Introduction

In today’s podcast, Dr. Alex Jimenez and Dr. Mario Ruja discuss how chiropractic care can help individuals who have been involved in automobile accidents and the various functional treatments that can help the body’s overall wellbeing.

How To Treat Auto Accidents?

[00:00:01] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Hey, Mario, you and I decided to call the podcast what Mario? Chiropractors exposed. The chiropractic exposé.

[00:00:14] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: We’re exposing the pain.

[00:00:16] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: The differences between chiropractic and the design. And we’re going to be getting funky and deep with the technology and the knowledge.

[00:00:24] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: It’s kind of scary. I’m just going to tell you right now if you don’t have your seatbelts on. Strap in.

[00:00:29] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Mario, today we decided to develop a significant component of our practice: personal injury. Personal injury is a type of practice where we deal with people who are injured from various issues, such as falls, slips, accidents, any nature, workers compensation, and auto accidents. A lot of things happen when you’re in personal injury dynamics. But being a doctor that deals with soft tissue issues, Mario and I have been doing this now for nearly, you know, for myself, almost thirty-two years. And Mario, you’ve been doing about 25, 26 years almost now. Yeah. So we’ve been doing it for a long time, and we have a lot to offer, and we do have a lot to say about the personal injury arena. In the beginning, when we first started understanding what happened, we didn’t ever really understand the complexities of an injury to the same level as what we do today because there is a tremendous amount of knowledge that has come about in the last two to three decades about injuries as well as injuries resulting in prolonged or chronic states that that affect people for their lives. But I also want to talk to Mario specifically more like an open forum today regarding the things that we have, we have seen when it comes to personal injury. How has that affected your practice per se in the last two decades?

The Dynamics Of Personal Injury

[00:01:58] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: The dynamics of personal injury are complex. But what I can say, Alex, with the outcomes and assessments and the goals of personal injury, it’s straightforward. Number one. There is a trauma, so there’s a date of damage, you know, whether it’s a mountain biking accident or a car accident? A football injury. Soccer. You know, a slip and fall, you try to put the Christmas lights on and wipe out. All of those things, what it comes down to is this event. You have to start with the event, and that is the intro to the story of recovery. And what I’ve noticed is that a majority of the people minimize that event because we’ve been trained to reduce injuries, period. You know, even if we do this consistently as little kids, people say you’re fine. Wipe it off. Run a lap. Be a big boy. It’s not a big deal. I mean, I see this with kids on playgrounds. I mean, they wipe out. I’m talking about they come off the slide, and the first thing that hits the ground is they’re their coccyx, their backs. That is like trauma, like severe trauma. And again, it’s overlooked. And those types of patterns, my quarter of a century-plus of taking care of personal injuries. And again, on another side, the word personal injuries have a negative connotation.

[00:04:07] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: So that’s what it means.

[00:04:09] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Yeah, it’s like most people look at it, and it’s fake. You know, it’s not real. People are trying to make something out of nothing. You see, they’re trying to get paid and all that, that is not appropriate at all. And those types of conversations are conversations that show what in my mind, in my view, is no care. Like, you know, it doesn’t matter. You don’t count. Your health doesn’t matter. Wipe it off and quit whining about it. And you’re fine. Well, it begins at an early age like kids, and it goes to adolescents in sports. You know, I see so many personal injuries and in sports like between the ages of seven, 10, 12, 13, and they’re misdiagnosed. They’re undertreated, and they become very chronic. There’s chronicity, Alex, in that. And as they grow up, you have these issues that stem back. And even my patients tell me, “Oh, when I was 12 years old, I had this injury, and I twisted my ankle where I fell off of this. And since then, I’ve never been the same again.”

What Kind Of Symptoms Do You Get From An Auto Accident?

[00:05:26] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: It’s so crucial to early diagnosis issue. When we assess a person, the worst thing is someone not paying attention to a personal injury. A hip injury can lately hang around and lead to a degenerative hip. Twenty years later, it was a neck injury. A football injury could lead to arthritis as time goes on. It took a long time for the surgeon general to come up with a sentence that smoking is hazardous for your health. We had known for literally 40 years, but we had known about arthritis as a disorder. Recently, in the last two decades, the surgeon general has said that arthritis is a disorder of biomechanical imbalance. But where did this biomechanical imbalance begin? Typically an injury in the past, and that people ignored an injury, a football injury, or fall, which causes trauma that is not dealt with, we have to assess the situation and bring some protocol to the individual to allow them to heal and will enable the body to heal like it usually should. Personal injuries are critical. They have striking issues that affect the whole body dynamics, such as an ankle injury. An ankle issue will affect the knee, the hip, the low back, the mid-pack, and the neck, and people just don’t get it. When I’m saying people, insurance carriers, how a person who fell off a ladder and landed on a bum and hurt their lower back now has shoulder issues. You know, six months a year later or headaches?

[00:07:12] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Exactly. Headaches, I mean, they’re dealing with, you know, issues with chronic headaches, with dizziness. And, you know, the conversation you and I always have on a secondary level is like, Oh, this is not contributed to the injury. OK, so they fell, and somehow their whole body fell. But there’s only one injury, and that’s like the low back. And that’s it, you know, like none of the body, this is what’s so intriguing, and I laugh about it. I go, you know what, what colors the red bus? I don’t know; it’s pink today because we have more pink. No, you cannot have a whole body engaged in a traumatic acceleration, deceleration injury, or an impact. And someone can tell a patient or us that, by the way, the only part that you have injured is your low back or your neck. And that’s it.

[00:08:10] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: And you know, you were mentioning right there when acceleration-deceleration that those are terms that are used primarily for describing someone coming from a high velocity to a sudden stop. And it’s a general physics term in a prevalent one in the legal realm. And I’m glad that you used it because we’re talking today about motor vehicle accidents, specifically auto accidents that cause injuries and leave people with problems many, many, many months later. You know, I know you know this, and from the time that I began my practice, the most common thing after a motor vehicle accident was someone that said, I don’t have anything that hurts. Right? Absolutely. And then how long does it take before the symptoms show up in your car?

[00:08:57] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Realistically, Alex, I would say anywhere between three to four weeks, sometimes even longer. I have patients that refuse treatment, and they tell me this, you know like I was hit by a car from the back. That’s like real common. You know, nowadays, people pay more attention to their cell phones than what’s in front of them or anywhere distractions, right? So for whatever reason, you know, you get hit from the back. I mean that that incident, I hear so many times patients come in, they’re dealing with headaches, migraines, severe migraines where they’re on heavy medications, have neck issues, chronic, and tell me I’ve never been the same. And it started two years ago when this happened. Well, what happened? That event was I got hit from the back. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then they even tell me I’ve never been the same again. I’ve been damaged. You know what? And they refuse. And I tell them, Well, did you get any care? No, I didn’t get any care because I was OK. I felt fine. And, you know, I didn’t need it.

Getting Evaluated After An Auto Accident

[00:10:11] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Patients need to get evaluated after an auto accident. They do because you never know what’s going on. And sometimes, the body has impressive capacities of hiding symptoms, literally. You can have a person who comes in your office that hurts my low back and says, I only have pain in my back and lower back. Then after a little quick assessment, we just kind of move the neck, and he goes, Oh, that my neck hurts. And I go, Well, did it hurt before? And they go, No. And it’s not that I’m stimulating. It’s that the pain in the low back camouflages other areas. It’s almost like you hit get hit by a hammer, and all of a sudden on your toe, you suddenly don’t have back pain.

[00:10:53] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: That’s exactly it.

[00:10:55] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: The brain can come out and late the symptoms. And then later, two days later, two weeks later, after the carrier called you and said, Are you OK? Then you start, have a presentation of symptoms, and say, Well, I didn’t have anything on that day. You didn’t want to get checked out, and suddenly you have symptoms that you didn’t know about, which happens more often and more commonly when you get older. As people get older, they have these symptoms present. We’ve done studies we can show and NCBI studies where people have issues years later, from a soft tissue cervical injury that leads to chronic headaches, migraines, and mental disorders resulting from poor sleep, just chronic pain is horrible when it affects individuals. Therefore, it’s essential, and our goal today was to have an open forum of whether you should get the care and should get evaluated and what kind of treatment options we have? I mean, we’ll have tons of podcasts where we can talk about the types of treatment protocols and their best efforts. But the bottom line is we have to start with people understanding that they need to be assessed. And it’s crucial that they do because if they don’t, guess what happens.

[00:12:12] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Well Alex, let me interrupt you for a second and let me say this question number one, and I know, you know the answer, and I hear it all the time, but I want you to kind of like tackle that one as they say, OK, number one, how many patients have you had that walk-in in the past 20, 30 years of your practice that say, “Oh? Dr. Jimenez, you know what, I’ve already been checked out. I went to E.R. I got checked out. They did some X-rays, told me I was OK. Gave me a, you know what, 800 milligrams of ibuprofen. You know, and give me a muscle relaxant, some flex real or whatever. I’m fine. A lot, Mario. How many times? A lot. Or they go to their family practitioner, and it’s the same conversation. You’re fine. Come back in 30 days, and I ask them, and you ask them, and what else did you do? Nothing. What is your opinion? You know, we deal with sports injuries. We deal with football players getting hit for up from the back, tackled, and all of that. Those kids weigh no more than 200 pounds. OK? I mean, we’re talking about high school. Not not the pros. A car weighs a ton.

[00:13:38] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Ten thousand pounds traveling at 60 miles an hour as hundreds of thousands of pounds of machinery.

[00:13:44] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: So now, how many times in your practice career have you heard? No, I already got checked out, and they said I was OK.

[00:13:57] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: A lot. Mario, I remember when I first met you, we had a clinical case. Remember the German? Yeah, I’m fine. I went to Vista Hills Hospital, right? And they told me I was OK. He had a compelling accent. The guy came in the briefcase.

[00:14:20] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: The guy came in to be a briefcase. How much do you weigh?

[00:14:21] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: I think it was about 40 pounds? Yeah. All right. And what happened is he started to lean forward. And the first protocol we do if you’re in, and first of all, the clinical history was that he flipped the car and hit his head on the top of the vehicle. So as he flipped it, they took him to the hospital, and then they took an X-ray, and sure enough, they let him go. Right? Well, he said he couldn’t move around. And if you remember, he was saying, “I cannot move on this; I have these two briefcases holding me down,” and you could see that it was pulling him forward. And I remember we took the X-rays and looked at how it was broken; the neck was broken.

[00:15:01] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: What part of it was broken?

[00:15:03] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: The cervical spine, the lower circle around the T-one, was hidden behind the shoulder on the X-ray right. And what we did was we did a swim shot, and we saw the neck. And I’ll never forget what happened. I go, “Mario, look at this,” and he goes, “Oh wow,” and I told Mr. So-and-so. I forgot his name, and we told him, “We got to talk to you about your X-rays, and you got a broken neck,” and then he goes, “What? They did not tell me.” All right. Well, what I did was I went, “This was too complex for even my practice.” My point being is, is that it was something that needed to be assessed. I sent him over to Dr. Thomas Al-Awsat, a great local surgeon, and I got to tell you, I think, the helicopter that landed by his office. He calls me back, saying, “Hey, man, why did you send that to me?” And I go, “Well, you’re the orthopedic surgeon.” Then he goes, “Dude, that is beyond my abilities.” He sent it over to Dr. Meissenhammer, the spinal practitioner, and he’s smarter than I am.

[00:16:03] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: And Dr. Al-Awsat is extremity.

[00:16:07] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: I’m going like that was crazy. We sat him down and called the helicopters to airship them. To that point, my point is that there’s a lot of things that are missed many times. We have a lot of great doctors in the city that can come together, and we integrate our practices with neurologists. I know you work with neurologists, pain specialists, chronic pain specialist doctors, physical medicine doctors, which we are. We need to understand that after an injury, there is trauma. You know, sometimes the carriers defy you and say, that’s a garden of the mill injury. It’s not that way. We have to evaluate those things through our history. We’ve seen atrocities, wrongdoings that could have been avoided by a simple assessment, a simple orthopedic assessment, and a neurological evaluation with all the tools that we have in modern science today to be able to come up with a protocol to determine if there is a problem or there isn’t. It seems kind of crazy that we could leave a person, a young girl who’s at the age of 18 has a neck injury and then look at her later on a 50, and she’s got massive arthritis in her neck when we could have done something.

[00:17:20] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: And what I would say is we need to honor each patient as though they are our children or our parents. You know, if we have those standards of care. We would care more, do more, be a little more patient and not as fast to judge or tell the patient you’re fine. And I understand many traumas, many other issues are more pressing, and often that’s the case. And we all do our best. You know, Alex, I always tell people everyone does their best when they are, you know, and for myself, I look at those cases, the injuries as very, very important cases because they delineate the rest of your life. So the better you take care of that car accident. And the reason we’re talking about cars is that the impact is enormous. And some of these cars, you may not see the effect. And that’s another conversation that I think is important because people think, oh, it’s a scratch, you know, and then the older the car, this is one thing that I’ve noticed, the older the vehicle. I mean, we’re talking about bumpers that are made out of steel. Yeah, I mean, that thing is not going to bend. But I’ll tell you what, that force will vibrate through the whole car to impact you more.

[00:19:06] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: You know, as you mentioned that we learned in physics plastic deformation. That’s what it is plastic. It absorbs the energy. Today’s cars are designed to absorb energy, and the old cars were more complex. So that energy, it’s almost like when people know I can imagine driving your car on and no tires, no rubber. You feel the impact when you’re on an older car, pre the 60s and 70s. That thing hurt, man. That thing was not an energy-absorbing kind of structure. There are cars out there that absorb energy better. But what we’ve learned is that position the impact, velocity, angles, and vectors all come into place, and it’s essential to understand the individual’s age.

[00:19:54] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: The preexisting. I can tell you someone, someone that’s in their 20s and someone who is in their 60s. Same situation, same impact. Different care, totally other symptoms, totally different outcome. Why preexisting issues, secondary morbidities, you know, all of those things are considered, and those patients have had other problems before. But the point that I always reflect and share with the patient wherever you are. The particular impact escalated and amplified the concerns you had prior, which is vital to clarify again. Often, you know, those issues are not created, and the verbiage that’s used is it’s preexisting because, you know, you have arthritis. Yeah, I understand that. But the question is, did that impact make my arthritis and the situation better or worse? I’m sorry but let’s be straightforward.

Does The Impact Affect Me?

[00:21:02] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Is it their fault that they are 60? Is it their fault that they have arthritis? Is it their fault that they have a back prior existing issue with rods in their spine from a previous situation? No, it’s not. When the impact happens, it lights those things. Yeah, whatever you have predisposed, it lights it up, and it makes it worse. You’re right.

[00:21:20] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Preexisting and those are conversations that need to be clarified and answered for the patients, mainly because it’s not their fault, you know, they’re the ones that didn’t wake up in the morning and go, You know what? Let me see if I can hit a tree today. Yeah, so I can, you know, just kind of stimulate my neck so I can move better? No, that’s the point. The point is that we need to meet each patient where they are. The fact is we need to meet them where they are. And if you are at that point in your life where you have high blood pressure diabetes, I mean, we’re talking about a conversation that we had a week ago was metabolic syndrome where you have type two diabetes. Now, Alex, tell me about your experience; I’ll let you answer this. How does a patient with diabetes differ in their recovery? The speed, the time of their recovery? With one who doesn’t have diabetes?

[00:22:22] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Using that example, you can first of all, when you have diabetes, by definition, it’s the sugar imbalance issues the body’s more inflammatory. It just basically cuts down to inflammation. It affects the kidneys. And if they’re pre-diabetic, they may be through growing metabolic disorder, where inflammation and blood sugar issues are going haywire. Well, it’s inflamed. It’s a predisposed inflammatory structure dynamic being. Now you get that person, and you hit him with a shovel that weighs one hundred thousand pounds in the back, right? Right. You light up the whole body, and you’ve taken someone who had a kind of a silent form of inflammation. You put that body through an inflammatory state that cascades to the point where the person literally their blood sugar. How many times after that did you have an accident where the people just complained their blood sugars off? Everything. Their diabetes has gone haywire. They weren’t the same. Did it take months even to stabilize the blood sugar?

Managed

[00:23:24] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: The recovery again, as you, as you mentioned, because of all these secondary issues is much longer and again due to the cascade effect of an injury, amplifying not only the symptoms but amplifying and putting so much talk on the metabolic process that that that person is already in. They’re already in a high state of inflammation. Now we just lit the whole body into the second phase of that. And actually, and that’s where I would like everyone to understand that there needs to be a higher level of care for those cases. And many times, it’s a more extended level. So this is not just one month, you know, we’re done thank you very much and have a nice day. Now, this is something that needs to be very well managed. The word is managed, very well cared for. So this is not like a little drive-through, you know, program, and therefore, we minimize those types of secondary issues and become even more chronic and impact the functional aspect of their long-term life.

[00:24:49] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: You know, the word today that didn’t exist 20 years ago was functional medicine. A person who’s in a car accident isn’t just hurt on their knee. Is it just hurt on their neck? Their whole bodies have gone through a slamming potentiation, or an energy field has gone through their body. It affects every organ. It involves the mind, the brain, the skull, brain matter, the intestinal organs. It affects everything and puts everything into chaos. If someone has a susceptibility and gets hit in an auto accident, it brings out a lot of the disorders that were just silent. Now they’re present, and we have to hit a functional approach. When we assess someone, we have to evaluate how it’s affected their mind. When I started practicing Mario, you know, PTSD wasn’t even though it was considered part of the DSM three-book; even the veterans didn’t qualify it as a diagnosis. It was in our tenure over the last 20 years that people understand the impact of the mind, how it gets altered in a motor vehicle accident, the mind, the way the cognition, the what they call cognitive dissidence the brain has in effect as a result of an impact. And how many times do you get a patient that says, You know what? I got hit in a car accident, and I’m afraid, I’m scared. I don’t know what to to do when I cross an intersection; they’re hurting mind-wise. So not only is the mind affected but the physiology of their whole bodies are affected.

Addiction

[00:26:35] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Talking about mind, let me do this. This is the word that is very important for all of us. Concussions. So now, after all these years, even in the game of football. After a very well-documented movie called Concussion. It was almost like a documentary. This is real. So from multiple impacts in football, people are getting depressed. Suicide is connected with it. Anger management, addiction, Alex.

[00:27:27] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Wait for a second, Mario? Addiction? Tell me all about that. Let’s talk about that because this is a whole thing.

[00:27:33] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: No, that’s I don’t. Oh, it’s the only accident. No. It’s not connected. It’s only just the low back and neck. And let’s leave it alone. No, you’re exactly right. We’ve got to address this. We need to put it up front and direct to everyone. Because let me tell you, if a football injury can cause concussions, which has a cascade effect towards depression, suicide addiction patterns, then let me ask you this. Is it too crazy to say that maybe car accidents have a similar effect?

[00:28:11] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Oh, absolutely. It’s crazy. You know what? First of all, our awareness of concussions was very different. You know, 20, 30 years ago, it was the stinger.

[00:28:24] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Yeah, rub it out.

[00:28:27] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: The legs going the wrong way to sting or walk it off. You got knocked down on their back, you know, a stinger. We now know the complications of the inflammatory cascade resulting from a football impact, that these things affect people’s brains. When they start affecting their brains, it affects their emotions. You’re right, and suicide is a complication of concussion. And when people get involved in motor vehicle accidents, they often do get subconcussive, pre concussive, and real concussive situations.

Is Ignorance Bliss?

[00:28:58] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: And are they OK? Let’s talk about this. Are they assessed? Are they addressed?

[00:29:07] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: No, not all the time. An excellent qualified doctor will do an orthopedic, neurological assessment, and all of the other tools and canons that they use to figure out what’s wrong with this individual. As you said, when that patient equals one, each person has its dynamics. You cannot state that everyone involved in a 30 mile an hour impact has a two-week injury. This is ridiculous. You know, doctors would laugh at that, but this is the standard. The guideline says a sprain strain of the neck. And let’s classify that. But there are different levels. There are complications. We need to make sure we diagnose, treat, and put together a team of individuals supporting wrap ourselves around this patient to give them the treatment protocols they need. This is very important because if we don’t Mario, that person 20 years from now will be affected. And we all know that if it involves an individual in their 20s and 20 years later, he’s 40, it has affected the whole family.

[00:30:14] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Absolutely. It affects everybody. It does, Alex. I will say this from personal experience. It affects everyone because we all go through it; the rule is that when one goes through it, we all go through it. Because the dynamics of that family changes immediately, the energy changes in the house, everything change. Yeah, the weekly routine changes. Now we have to take mom or dad, or we have to do this, or we can’t do these other things. We can’t go to football practice imaginable because now we have to go to therapy and some other things. And the other question that I want to throw out is very sensitive, like I don’t want to throw it out at you and make sure you don’t fumble this one, right? So let me tell you why it is so easy to get your car fixed but not your body? Now I want to throw it to you quickly. This isn’t a fastball, all right. Why is it that we take care of these things? We don’t go; that’s not it. You know that scratch was there before. Now we’re not fixing your car. Why is it that it’s so easy to fix material things? Right? And we never look at we never say this. This car was like three years old or four years old, you know, and we’re not going to pay for it. We’re just going to spend like like maybe half because it’s already old. Why is it that car material things are paid for in full, Alex, and people are not? Why is it? You know, I’m really curious.

[00:32:09] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: I’ll answer it.

[00:32:10] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Yeah, please.

[00:32:11] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: It is called ignorance, Mario. It is ignorance of the fact of what will happen to that individual, and I cannot tell you that I have treated a lot of patients in my life, some of them were adjusters, that terrorized my patients in the early 90s that stated, you don’t have a problem. X-Y-Z. Every time they say the person was involved in an accident, they don’t have a problem. They are just blanket statements. They don’t have any issues and would create devastation with the patient and the treatments they need. Guess what? I had one that I remember our first one, and let’s call her Karen Peoples, and she worked for an insurance company with a P on it. And she remembers. And I remember her voice, she had a unique voice, and one day I had that voice in my office. And that same Karen from that insurance company says I was involved in an accident with my daughter and I go with you that Karen from that insurance a long time ago. And she goes, Yes, I was the head adjuster. And I say to her, “You know, you created a lot of devastation for a lot of my patients, not understanding what was going on with them.” She goes, “I never knew. I never knew that an impact with such little force of 20 to 30 miles an hour could leave my daughter in such devastating pain and me because I didn’t know and I didn’t know,” and I go, “But you continuously created havoc for these patients,” and she goes, “I live with that every day. I live with the bitterness of getting divorced. I had the protocols that were in place.” I don’t know what it was, but you know, she led me to believe that it was her job. But the bottom line was that she realized then that an injury that now was a small relative that she would have brushed off and made someone feel worth nothing or had no value for care has now affected her life and her daughter. It affected them that they were always being treated in the office for about a good three to four months, and they appreciated it for the first time. So to answer your question Mario, it’s just ignorance to understanding. Because we live in a culture, I don’t have time to take care of my body. I don’t have time to give myself the care that I do. We treat nurses. You and I treat nurses. These are the top echelon nurse practitioners, the top end. By the time they retired, they’re broken. These are the people that took care of themselves but didn’t take care of themselves. They took care of other people, but not themselves. All right. So the whole idea of why just people tend to believe that it’ll be gone tomorrow? They still think they’re 15. But once you cross 25, 30 years old, the body takes longer to heal. The body dynamics are altered. And as that happens, things take a much more logical approach to consider what we need to do to recover a person. So as we do these things, the answer is we believe that cars, though they are more important in terms of the present to get me here and there, they don’t see the distance and the how long and how it affects them when they’re seventy years old and can’t walk because of an old injury back in the day. So we need to establish norms, and N equals one patient-doctor equals one. We understand we assess; we determine what’s going on with the patient. And when we do that, you and I do a great service to our patients and their families and for the future generation. I cannot tell you that anxiety stays with you. No anxiety. If you’re a very anxious and irritable person, I can ask you who’s there? Was the irritable person anxious in your family? Well, there’s my mom, and who was that behind? That was my grandmother. Right? So if we give chronic pain to an individual? Have you ever seen children of an individual who has chronic pain not affect the children in some capacity? It does. So when we kind of blow-off pain and that it doesn’t need to be, you know, whatever. Here is a couple of hundred dollars here. Take Motrin out the door. You take some flexible risk of yourself becoming addicted to certain medications because it happens. And there’s a place for things. And when there’s a need for medication, you and I are very aware we’re open to that. But when the consequence leads to a lifetime and not only a lifetime, but a legacy of perpetual issues for a future generation? Oh, it was just because we didn’t know Mario. We didn’t know they didn’t know the distant consequences of trauma. I have people that I hate to say this, but it’s ridiculous. But the anxious anxiety that is so deeply embedded in some of my patients leads back to the Civil War. I mean, back to their families when they were trying to survive during the depression and that that that same mental state follows them through. Well, an auto accident can do the same. I mean, if it traumatizes them, it gives them an injury, and they can’t walk around, and now their neck doesn’t move. And they used to be a car mechanic, and now they don’t have a job. And all of a sudden, they can’t bring the bacon home. What happens?

[00:37:49] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: That’s an excellent point. That’s a very valid point, Alex. And I see this with athletes when an event happens to where it alters their function because their function is their identity. You follow me. So all of a sudden, it’s like, here’s a wrestler with an injury he can’t wrestle more. Here’s a football player. He has to retire early. Here, here is a, let’s say, mechanic. He cannot do his job anymore. So again, in our culture, our function is our identity. Would you say that? So, that’s where it’s so important that we honor functional medicine.

It’s Okay To Say “I’m Not Fine.”

[00:38:45] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: You know, let me kind of mention something because you said, we aren’t we are the thing that we do. In Spanish, there is a word that rides on insult. It is inutile. You’re not worthy of something. If you break apart the word you notice, like when someone calls with someone inutile, it’s like you’re insulting me. Like, I’m not helpful. Well, the word is in without utility. Without utility function, without function, you hurt yourself; you become inutile. So the answer to it is when you’re hurt. What’s the big bravo thing? You don’t want to tell people you’re hurt because you don’t want to be inutile.

[00:39:27] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: That’s psychological. I love that. I love that connection because here is the 360, which is where it all comes around. Identity function, chronicity. And this is where we disconnect. When we disconnect, we say, no, I’m fine. How many times do you hear people say I’m fine.

[00:39:49] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: I’m fine. Busted leg. I’m fine.

[00:39:53] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: And you look at him, you go, “Dude, you’re not fine.”

[00:39:57] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: You’re not fine. No, we got to check you out, and we got to figure out and come up with a plan.

[00:40:01] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: I see so many people that instead of, you know, again, the conversation is in car accidents and all that. Oh, they’re amplifying it there. You know what? That’s very rare. OK. You know what most working, society, a working force like in El Paso, we love to work. That’s our identity. We don’t want to stop working. I have so many people to say, no, I need to go back to work. I want to.

[00:40:29] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: I got to tell you, I grew up in a world where people walked around with neck braces, and we knew it. Now, today we don’t use one’s neck braces as much or belts everywhere. You know what? People do not come to my office faking it; they don’t. I mean, it doesn’t happen. It’s not like they are hurting their jobs. I am a very fair guy in terms of, look, this is something real. And as soon as we treat and we’re done with them and be on your way and be happy, but if you’re not given the opportunity, then the healing and repair process or what we call the fibrosis of repair or scar tissue doesn’t allow itself to heal appropriately, let alone that’s the physical component. But as we talked about and people don’t understand the consequence of these things’ emotional effect. You know, a girl gets raped, a man watches his best friend, gets his head blown off in a war, right? A person drops in an elevator, 40 floors. They make it. They survive. Each one of these people looks normal to you. They look normal. But are they different now? They have been altered. They have been changed. These things happen even though they look present and say, You know, there’s nothing wrong with you. You know, do you know she was raped? Do you know that he saw a friend? Do you know that he was in an accident where nobody survived? And I’ve seen accidents. Ridiculously, everyone dies except one person. Yes, right. One person survives, and how did that happen? Well, the forces are such that, you know, it clipped when a certain energy force and it took out a certain group of people and some people are fine. Sometimes you have eight or nine people in the car, and no one gets hurt, and one person gets paralyzed. How does that happen?

[00:42:17] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: And this is where you know the statements and the examples. These are like very high-end statements, you know, right? Yeah. Now the majority of them, let’s say 80 percent of them exactly fit into that conversation. Because why? You look at them, and they look fine. There are no contusions, no broken bones, and nothing like that, so they look fine. And a lot of them, even in my practice, they come in, they’re like, “No, I’m fine, you know, it’s not that bad. I, you know, came in because so-and-so, one of my family members told me to go in” or, “You know what? Oh, I have just a little like, you know, just a little quick in my neck and, you know, when I wake up, and that’s it.” So they like point one thing. But it’s how we evaluate by the time we do a spinal surface EMG electrical monograph. I mean, this is data. This is pre and post. You look at muscle balance. You look at vectors. By the time we do that, we say, by the way, what about these areas? “Oh yeah. You know what? I do have that. And all of a sudden, after 30 minutes to 45 minutes of digging in and looking into it, then they say, “You know what? I’m so glad that you looked into it because I didn’t think it was that bad.”

[00:43:39] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Mario, you and I, that’s where we realized that we’re at that we’re so comfortable with ourselves that we bring in other talents. We have top radiologists that work with us. Top MRI specialist CAT scans, ultrasounds…

[00:43:56] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Top orthopedics. Again, that’s the problem.

[00:44:01] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: We will find the problem if there is one, and we will determine, and we will be fair, and we do not want to abuse any system. But what we’re trying to do is to let people know that they should get evaluated, they should be treated, they should be. If they need it, they should get it. If they don’t, well, then we send them in the same way. Many of my patients that come in; they’re not hurt. I’ve many times eight or nine people come in, and they’re all in the same car, and I only treat two people right. That’s fine because you only treat that, which has issues. And we have to assess the problem correctly. And that is what many of those who have the power do not think they should have those benefits for free and available. That’s just it’s ludicrous. And when we present that stuff, you know what, you and I go to court all the time. We go in depositions. We stand up for our patients. We represent. We are their voice to bring a clinical point of view to a physiological change. And when we do that, many times people understand, and I’ve got to tell you, when you’re talking to 12 people in a jury, there is most likely three or four of those people that have been jacked up in a car accident at one time, and the chronic chronicity result after something like that could occur, if not them, they’ve seen it in their family. So today’s day is not to turn our back on people we have to assess, and that’s what we plan on doing, you and me. With our expertise, we have a lot of a book to learn how to ride bicycles. But until you get on a bike, you will never, ever learn how to ride a bike. You and I have been in clinical practice literally for over 50 years combined. We have ridden the bicycle, understand the truth, know the dynamics, and willingly tell everybody about an issue with one of our patients. And we’re proud of that. And I know that you’ve been very accurate, and I have been very faithful to our patients, and we call it like it is. And I look forward to talking to more about this because it is an area, though it’s general talk right now, we can go into any route of these for days and hours and get into the nitty-gritty and get nasty with the science more. You and I, what are we going to do? We’re going to expose what we do. We’re going to uncover the stories. And as we do that kind of stuff and tell people about that, we’re going to bring awareness that has never been in, at least in the forums, to develop without a time or saying you’ve got four minutes to say something. It takes a long time to kind of set an idea.

Conclusion

[00:47:02] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Yeah. And I also want to share the word is results, OK. In all of the environments and the places and ecosystems that I work with and am part of. It’s about results, Alex. It’s about results. Before and after, what are the results? Am I better? Am I stronger? Can I move better? Am I able to get back to the function that I was before? And you know what, Alex? It’s called functional medicine. It’s called results. It’s called chiropractic. It’s called integrative care. What that means is that that we are a team. I am not all to everyone and all my patients, and neither are you. And we realize and honor that it takes a village to raise a child, but also it takes many professionals to take care and give the best care and the best results to a patient in need of the results that they deserve.

[00:48:19] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC:* The care and N-equals one, guys. We’re going to bring it, and we’re going to stop it there. We’re going to continue these conversations. And Mario, thank you for being the voice you have always been because we have a lot to say about what is going on. And we’re going to try to bring out the awareness to our community and teach about what we do and let people know what their options are and have the result, as you said. So we’ll leave it there. And God bless.

Disclaimer

Chiropractic Reset For Jet Lag

Dr. Alex Jimenez

Unrecognized man osteopath stretching back of beautiful lady in rehabilitation clinic — Waist up side view portrait of charming young Caucasian female in black sportswear lying on massage table during the physiotherapy session in wellness center

Chiropractic Reset: Traveling is not an easy adjustment as it disrupts the body’s internal clock. When flying even just 3 hours, the body can start to experience symptoms like:

Fatigue
Confusion
Insomnia
Joint and muscle pain
Stiffness
Stomach problems
Nausea
Hunger
Bad mood

Not only is the flight a physical challenge, but so are the long lines, backed-up traffic, lost luggage, etc. All take a toll on the mind and body; a chiropractic reset can help restore the body’s balance and energy levels.

Table of Contents

Jet Lag

Jet lag happens when the brain region known as the hypothalamus or center that controls sleep cycles, appetite, and temperature conflicts with travel changes. A survey from international flight attendants found that despite being used to long air travel:

90% had fatigue over the first five days.
94% had a lack of energy/motivation.
93% had broken sleep.
70% had ear, nose, or throat issues.

Scientists have estimated that it takes a full day to recover for every hour of time difference. The direction traveled can affect how intense the symptoms are since it’s easier for the body to delay its internal clock than speed it up. Traveling east is more difficult on the body compared to traveling west.

Ways To Limit The Effects

Workout

Get a thorough physical workout the day before you fly.
It doesn’t matter; it can be an hour on an elliptical machine, a mile jog, or a vigorous swim.
The objective is to get the lymph system moving to help prevent edema in the legs, hands and flush toxins from the body.

Take a Walk Every Hour

Try and get up at least once an hour for long trips and every half hour for shorter ones.
This will help prevent back pain.
Reduce the risk of blood clots from prolonged sitting and change in cabin pressure.

Bring Familiar Food

Fresh fruit, vegetables can be placed in a ziplock baggie.
Nuts are allowed as long as there are no passengers with severe allergies.
If it’s a long flight, include protein-like:
Chicken wings.
Hard-boiled eggs.
Cooked burgers.
All fit the criteria for a long plane flight.

Sleep

Try and get a proper night’s rest the night before the flight.
Eye patches and music also work well if available.
Utilize the flying time to increase rest.

Exercise

Exercise while in the seat or the aisles; try seated calf raises, trunk rotations.

Flight time can make a difference

If possible, try to get a flight that gets to your destination in the evening.
Then, stay up until 10 pm local time.
If you have to take a nap, set the alarm not to surpass two hours.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol

You don’t have to go without alcohol or caffeine, but they should be cut out a few hours before sleeping.
Both can affect the ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, and the quality of sleep.

Change sleep patterns beforehand

In the week leading up to the trip, start adjusting sleep time and wake time to get closer to the new time zone.
This way, upon arrival, the body is basically adjusted.

Skip the big meal

To help the digestive system, try not to eat a massive meal upon arrival.
Allow body functions like sleep and digestion to adjust to the changes.

Bask in the sun

Daylight has a significant effect on the body’s clock.
Get outside to wake up the brain to help the body and mind adjust to the daytime hours.

Melatonin

This is a hormone in the body that helps control the circadian rhythm.
Melatonin is dependent on the amount of light the body is exposed to.
When there’s light, melatonin release is stopped.
When dark, melatonin release is stimulated.
It is recommended not to take melatonin before leaving, or it will make the jet lag worse.
Wait until landing in the new time zone to supplement one hour before regular sleep time at the new location.
Continue for three nights or until the body has adjusted.

Pycnogenol

Pycnogenol has been studied for its effect of reducing jet lag symptoms.
It reduces cerebral and joint swelling, which leads to fewer short-term memory problems, fatigue, and cardiac issues.
It has been shown to decrease deep vein thrombosis and superficial vein thrombosis, typical side effects of long flights.
Recommendations are to take three times a day for up to five days maximum of seven days after landing.

Chiropractic Reset

Chiropractic reset adjustments the day before and especially after the flight can restore balance to the nervous system and the body. This will help reset sleeping and waking patterns after the stress of flying.

Body Composition

Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a name for a set of symptoms and conditions that revolve around cardiovascular health.

Obesity and a high amount of visceral fat are significant risk factors for being diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.
Individuals can prevent metabolic syndrome by:
Focusing on minimizing visceral fat.
Maximizing lean mass leads to weight loss.
A diet that boosts HDL is essential.
Proper body hydration.

Body composition analysis can be thought of as a tool for understanding the approach to preventing the onset of metabolic syndrome. Knowing how to identify the risks can support individuals in making informed decisions on their healthcare journey.

References

Belcaro, G et al. “Jet-lag: prevention with Pycnogenol. Preliminary report: evaluation in healthy individuals and hypertensive patients.” Minerva cardioangiologica vol. 56,5 Suppl (2008): 3-9.

Herxheimer, Andrew. “Jet lag.” BMJ clinical evidence vol. 2014 2303. 29 Apr. 2014

Janse van Rensburg, Dina C Christa et al. “How to manage travel fatigue and jet lag in athletes? A systematic review of interventions.” British journal of sports medicine vol. 54,16 (2020): 960-968. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2019-101635

Straub, WF et al. “The effect of chiropractic care on jet lag of Finnish junior elite athletes.” Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics vol. 24,3 (2001): 191-8.

Zerón-Rugerio, María Fernanda et al. “Eating Jet Lag: A Marker of the Variability in Meal Timing and Its Association with Body Mass Index.” Nutrients vol. 11,12 2980. 6 Dec. 2019, doi:10.3390/nu11122980

Changing Positions and Posture Throughout The Day

Dr. Alex Jimenez

Businessman looking at computer while standing at desk in office

Changing positions and posture. Individuals who have to sit at a desk, workstation, or cubicle for most of the day increase their risk of back pain, contributing to other health issues. GetAmericaStanding.org reports the average adult sits for ten hours or more a day. Prolonged sitting at home and work without movement, physical activity, exercise can lead to issues like:

Pain
Irritability
Cardiovascular problems
Obesity
Diabetes

Long periods of inactivity are associated with increased mortality as sedentariness causes the same damage related to smoking and obesity. It can be challenging to find ways to remain active while sitting at work; this is where changing positions and posture, also known as dynamic sitting throughout the day, can help.

Table of Contents

Changing Positions and Posture Throughout the Day

Constantly sitting in a chair means the body remains static, causing blood and energy circulation to slow down, stressing the body’s muscles. Changing the body’s positions regularly along with short periods of activity like standing up, walking around while on the phone, and stretching helps to work out the muscles and keep circulation at optimal levels.

The Importance of Changing Positions and Posture

The body was meant to move and requires movement to stay healthy.

Staying in one position for too long can lead to loss of core strength from the abdominal musculature becoming deconditioned. Muscle deconditioning leads to weakness and tightness. The imbalance affects the spinal support system leading to back, hip, and leg pain. Moving around and doing quick mini-workouts can help strengthen the body, increase core strength, improve posture, burn calories and prevent pain and injury.

The Basics

According to a 2018 study, researchers found improvements in cardiometabolic health among individuals that would stand up, sit less, and move more. Ways to adjust the work or home office to make changing positions and posture easier include.

Sit-stand desks can be raised and lowered throughout the day to change position regularly.
Treadmill desks are actual treadmills that are fitted with a desk so individuals can work and walk simultaneously.
A smaller, less expensive option could be under-the-desk bike peddlers.
Have resistance bands or small weights at the desk to perform exercises throughout the day.
Ergonomic chairs
Kneeling chairs
Leaning stools
Balance balls
Wobble chairs
Saddle chairs

Medical Consultation

These small changes and adjustments can make a big difference when experiencing body pain from too much sedentariness. However, it is crucial to know if other issues are causing the health problem/s. If back or any pain is associated with any of the following, consult a medical professional.

Trauma from an accident or injury.
Balance issues.
Weakness in the legs.
Infection.
Fever.
Unexplained weight loss.
Overflow urinary incontinence is when the bladder fills up and empties without feeling the need to urinate.
Severe constipation.

Body Composition

How to Read Blood Pressure Measurements

An individual’s blood pressure includes:

Systolic Blood Pressure

This is the first or top number listed on a blood pressure reading and is the measurement of the pressure that the blood exerts against the walls of the arteries.
A normal systolic reading should be less than 120 mm Hg.

Diastolic Blood Pressure

This is the second number that measures the force of the blood against the artery walls when the heart is resting between beats.
A normal diastolic reading is less than 80 mm Hg.

Pulse

The pulse is the number of beats per minute the heart is beating.
A normal adult pulse is between 60 to 100 beats per minute.

When checking blood pressure, a doctor will read out a vital sign in the normal range of 120/80 mmHg or below. Anything above that could be an indication of an underlying health condition.

References

“Ergonomics for Prolonged Sitting.” The University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA. www.uclahealth.org/spinecenter/ergonomics-prolonged-sitting

“Workplace sitting is associated with self-reported general health and back/neck pain: a cross-sectional analysis in 44,978 employees.” BMC Public Health, London, UK. May 2021. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33957889/

“Active Sitting Guide: 6 Reasons To Really Consider It.” The Ergonomics Health Association. (n.d.) ergonomicshealth.com/active-sitting-guide/

“Cardiometabolic Impact of Changing Sitting, Standing, and Stepping in the Workplace.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Indianapolis, IN. March 2018. oce.ovid.com/article/00005768-201803000-00015/HTML

“Reducing occupational sitting time and improving worker health: the Take-a-Stand Project, 2011.” Preventing Chronic Disease, Atlanta, GA. 2012.

“Office exercise: Add more activity to your day.” The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. October 2019. www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/office-exercise/art-20047394

“The Tools: Put an End to Your Sedentary Lifestyle.” Ergotron, St. Paul, MN. (n.d.). www.juststand.org/the-tools/

Mini Workouts Over The Day Just As Effective

Dr. Alex Jimenez

Man exercising at home — Young healthy man doing sports exercises in the living room at home

Trying to fit exercise into a busy day can be a struggle to find a 30–45-minute window. However, research has found that mini workouts and accumulated exercises over the day are as effective as one complete session. Studies show that short workout sessions take the place of one long workout by breaking up the routine into several small ones and are just as effective.

Table of Contents

Time of Exercise

According to the CDC and its Physical Activity Guidelines, adults should focus on a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise weekly, along with strength training at least two days per week. The workouts should focus on total-body targeting the major muscle groups. However, a long session can be broken up into several mini workouts to achieve the same benefits and achieve the same number of minutes.

Benefits of Mini Workouts

The benefits of short, multiple exercise sessions are that they provide increased flexibility in an individual’s daily schedule, allowing them to focus on their health while navigating family, work, and other obligations. Performing mini-workouts throughout the day makes it easier to stay committed to an exercise program, experience the benefits, and achieve their health goals.

Increase Brain Health and Mood

Shorter duration workouts save time, allow multiple forms of exercise into a single day, and improve neurological, physical, and psychological benefits.
Performing an exercise as short as 3–5 minutes throughout the day can benefit the brain and mood.

Lower Blood Pressure

A study compared the effects of short aerobic exercise sessions and continuous exercise on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure.
The study found that doing three 10-minute walks during the day morning, midday, and late afternoon lowered blood pressure more than doing one 30-minute walk in prehypertensive individuals.

Easier to Exercise

Performing high-intensity workouts for a long time is not easy, even for seasoned athletes.
This is why mini workout sessions appeal to fitness fans of all levels.
Decreasing the time allows the individual to exercise at higher intensities.

Reduce the Stress of Working Out

Incorporating shorter workouts can reduce the stress or fear that individuals have towards working out.
When looking at fitness from this perspective, shortened workouts naturally become a part of the day that helps relieve stress.

Achieve Fitness Goals

Shorter workouts allow individuals with busy schedules to focus on what they can perform in controlled sessions throughout the day without feeling overwhelmed by committing to an entire workout session.
Mini workouts are easy to schedule, more sustainable to perform, and easier to commit to long-term.
They allow for more focused and intensive exercise, especially when easily distracted.

Plan Ahead and Follow Through

The recommended way to accumulate a balance of strength, cardio, and mobility exercises throughout the day is to set up a plan. Find a routine that is enjoyable and not a chore, then set up the office space, work area, home to accommodate the exercises. For cardiovascular and strengthening benefits, an example of Tabata or HIIT workout.

Five exercises.
Two minutes on each exercise with a work-rest ratio of 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off.
Depending on an individual’s fitness level, the work-rest ratio can be modified.
To improve mobility and strength, use weights or resistance bands.
Focus on proper form.

Try shorter workouts for a quick burst of exercise:

Pick two to three exercises like bicep curls, shoulder presses, bodyweight squats, calf raises, lunges, or planks.
Set a watch for 3 minutes.
Perform 30 seconds of one exercise.
Switch to another exercise for 30 seconds.
Alternate until the 3 minutes are up.

Body Composition

Bodyweight Workout 1

Ten bodyweight squats.
Ten pushups.
Twenty jumping jacks.
Twenty-second plank.
Ten glute bridges.
Twenty seconds of rest.
Repeat as many times as possible in 10 minutes.

Bodyweight Workout 2

Thirty seconds of bodyweight squats.
Thirty seconds of jumping jacks or high knees.
Thirty-second plank.
Thirty seconds of rest.
Repeat 4–5 times.

Yoga Stretching

Child’s Pose – 2–3 repetitions, hold for 20–30 seconds.
Chair Pose – 10 repetitions.
Cat-Cow – 10 repetitions.
Downward Dog – 8 repetitions.
Repeat as many rounds as possible for 10 minutes.

References

How much physical activity do adults need? (2015, June 4) cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014, October 10). Depression and anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression-and-exercise/art-20046495

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2015, April 16). Exercise and stress: Get moving to manage stress mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/exercise-and-stress/art-20044469

Help Relieve Neuropathy Symptoms With Chiropractic

Dr. Alex Jimenez

Close up of medical worker massaging foot — Professional therapist doing manipulative massage, working in medical center with patient

Neuropathy is a painful condition that causes tingling, numbness, burning sensations in the hands and feet, and other symptoms throughout the body. Neuropathy can make life difficult. There is no cure for neuropathy, but symptoms can be managed with medications, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and pain relievers. Another treatment option to help relieve neuropathy symptoms is chiropractic.

Table of Contents

Symptoms

Symptoms vary from individual to individual depending on their health condition and how the nerves have been impacted. Common symptoms include:

Pain
Numbness
Tingling
Pins-and-needles feeling when touching something hot or cold.
Some individuals lose the sense of feeling like clothing on their body, even though it’s rubbing against the skin but feel as if it is not there.
Other changes can be familiar objects looking different than usual.
Lessened or heightened sense of smell.
Negative impact on mood.

Protective Sheathing Of The Nerves

Neuropathic pain is caused by damage and degeneration to the nerves or the protective covering/sheathing of the nerves. Various causes include:

Diabetes.
Injury.
Infections.
Medication side effects.
Exposure to toxins.

Stages

The symptoms of neuropathy depend on the location and severity of the nerve damage. The stages include:

Numbness and Pain

Stage one consists of numbness and pain.
Some individuals describe a tingling or numbing sensation.
What feels like pinpricks in the hands and/or feet.
This stage can last for months, but most individuals recover within a year.

Constant Pain

Stage two is characterized by continuous pain.
Some individuals may experience shooting pains that come and go.
Intense burning sensations around the waistline.
Numbness on one side of the body with stabbing pain.
This stage can last for a year or more and worsen until the individual is incapacitated.

Nerve Degeneration

Stage three is when nerve degeneration sets in.
Loss of feeling on both sides of the body.
Loss of motor skills like walking and falling over.
Doctors treat the symptoms so they don’t get worse.

Loss Of Sensation

The final stage is the loss of sensation.
This occurs when the nerve endings are destroyed and can no longer send messages to the brain.

Treatments To Help Relieve Symptoms

Treatments usually involve:

Antidepressants.
Pain medications.
Anti-seizure medications.
Pain-relieving creams.
All can help manage pain and inflammation.

Chiropractic Can Also Help Relieve Symptoms

Chiropractors use hands-on methods to adjust and realign joints, muscles, spinal discs, and ligaments to function more efficiently and bring relief from pressure on the nerves. Neuropathies are often caused by nerve compression in body areas that have been altered by injury or disease that affects ligaments, discs, spinal muscles, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, hip adhesions, leg length discrepancies, etc. These can contribute to pain and numbness in the peripheral nerves that supply the legs, feet, arms, hands, and neck. While a chiropractor cannot cure neuropathy, they can help relieve symptoms, make it much more manageable, and improve quality of life.

Body Composition

Common Cold

The common cold, also known as upper respiratory tract inflammation, is the most common infectious respiratory disease because of its effect on the nose and throat. The average adult will catch 2–3 colds a year, according to the CDC. A virus that causes a cold can enter the respiratory tract directly when inhaling droplets expelled from an infected person or by direct skin contact, like touching the face with a hand that came in contact with the virus. Cold symptoms vary but usually include:

Runny or stuffy nose
Sneezing
Coughing
Headaches
Body aches

The duration of a cold differs; however, most individuals with a healthy immune system recover in 7–10 days. However, individuals with a compromised immune system, asthma, or COPD have an increased risk of developing more serious illnesses like bronchitis or pneumonia. Hundreds of viruses can cause colds. Human Rhinoviruses are common culprits and are constantly mutating, which is why there is no cure. Several medications or natural treatments help alleviate cold symptoms; it is recommended to combat the illness effectively through a healthy immune system response. Doctors recommend proper rest, eating a nutrient-rich diet, and maintaining proper H2O hydration to boost the immune system.

References

D’Angelo, Kevin et al. “The effectiveness of passive physical modalities for the management of soft tissue injuries and neuropathies of the wrist and hand: a systematic review by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management (OPTIMa) collaboration.” Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics vol. 38,7 (2015): 493-506. doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2015.06.006

Kissel, Jaclyn A, and Cristina Leonardelli. “Isolated musculocutaneous neuropathy: a case report.” The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association vol. 63,3 (2019): 162-170.

Passioti, Maria et al. “The common cold: potential for future prevention or cure.” Current Allergy and asthma reports vol. 14,2 (2014): 413. doi:10.1007/s11882-013-0413-5

T Francio, Vinicius. “Chiropractic care for foot drop due to peroneal nerve neuropathy.” Journal of bodywork and movement therapies vol. 18,2 (2014): 200-3. doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2013.08.004

Restore Range Of Motion With Chiropractic

Dr. Alex Jimenez

Jolly aged female getting ready for running outdoors — Waist up portrait of smiling mature woman doing stretching exercises while training in stairs in city

Moving every part of the body freely, without pain or stiffness, is necessary for a high quality of life. As the body ages, it begins to lose its natural flexibility. One of the most common problems with mobility and flexibility is tight and misaligned backs, shoulders, necks, and legs that can cause pain when moving. This means having a limited range of motion that can cause negative body compensation patterns that can lead to further dysfunction and injury. Maintaining healthy mobility requires a conscious effort to keep every joint, muscle, ligament, and tendon in shape. Chiropractic treatment can restore range of motion and strengthen the body.

Table of Contents

Restore Range of Motion

Range of motion or R.O.M. is the measurement of movement around a joint or body part expressed in degrees. It is tied with the flexibility around a joint and plays a role in moving well without pain or discomfort. After an injury, trauma, or medical problem, the range of motion can be limited. Individuals with back, neck, shoulder, and leg pain feel stiff, tight, and sore in these areas and cannot move freely. Range of motion is vital for physical activity, athletic activity, and preventing injuries. When an individual pushes the body too hard and tries to move in an uncomfortable way, they can cause a tear or sprain, leading to added inflammation, stiffness, and further limited mobility.

Factors That Contribute To A Lack Of Flexibility

Age

Body age impacts flexibility. As the body gets older, it becomes stiff and can begin to present with pain, which restricts movements.

Limited Physical Activity or Exercise

Being sedentary with minimal physical activity contributes to a lack of flexibility, muscle loss, disrupted circulation, and weight gain.

Work

An individual’s profession can affect the body’s flexibility. A job that has little to no movement regularly, like being seated for most of the time, will contribute to reduced flexibility.

Obesity

Carrying additional body weight can significantly limit movement and decrease flexibility.

Flexibility Improvement

Staying Active

Regular physical activity/exercise will help maintain body health and flexibility. Activities can include:

Sports
Walking
Jogging
Weight lifting
Swimming
Yoga

Regular Stretching

Regular stretching will keep the muscles loose and the joints flexible. Incorporate stretching into a daily routine throughout the day and a wind-down stretch before going to bed.

Maintaining Proper Hydration

When the body is dehydrated, it causes the muscles to stiffen and tighten up, decreasing elasticity. Staying hydrated will help maintain flexibility by re-lubricating the muscles, ligaments, and tendons.

Healthy Diet

Losing excess weight and maintaining a healthy weight range through proper nutrition will reduce inflammation, improve mobility and flexibility.

Chiropractic Restoration

When normal movement is not possible, discomfort and pain will worsen as the muscles become tighter, causing the tendons and ligaments to shorten and stick together, placing added stress on the areas, leading to pain and inflammation. The body was made to be in motion, and when it does not move and stretch out, it stiffens up. Trying to use the muscles even when they are stiff and strained can make the condition worse, limiting the range of motion further causing the slightest movements to cause discomfort and pain. A chiropractor can provide adjustments, soft and deep-tissue massage to the tight areas to loosen the muscles, improve circulation, flexibility, mobility, and restore range of motion.

Body Composition

Myth Eating at Night Causes Fat Gain

The myth is eating right before sleeping causes the body to turn whatever was eaten straight into fat. However, the fact is that it is not about when an individual eats but rather the calorie intake and exercise level. According to the C.D.C., it’s the calories that are burned over a 24-hour period that determine fat gain/loss, and not when those calories are taken in. Far from being a fat gain guarantee, healthy nighttime meals were shown to:

Improve protein synthesis in healthy individuals that ate small meals that were high in nutrients and low in calories before sleeping.
They were shown to build muscle, not fat.
They had no effect on weight gain among overweight and obese individuals that participated in a high-intensity cardiovascular exercise program during the day.

What can make the myth true is when eating and drinking foods/drinks with a high caloric content: This includes:

Processed foods
Alcohol
Carbohydrates
Foods that are filled with calories.

An extra 500-1000 calories after 8 pm is easy to add if not careful. Remember, it’s about the calories themselves, not the time.

References

Marcano-Fernández, Francesc et al. “Physical outcome measures: The role of strength and range of motion in orthopedic research.” Injury vol. 51 Suppl 2 (2020): S106-S110. doi:10.1016/j.injury.2019.11.017

Mortazavi, Fatemeh, and Ali Nadian-Ghomsheh. “Stability of Kinect for a range of motion analysis in static stretching exercises.” PloS one vol. 13,7 e0200992. 24 Jul. 2018, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0200992

O’Sullivan, Kieran et al. “The effect of warm-up, static stretching and dynamic stretching on hamstring flexibility in previously injured subjects.” B.M.C. musculoskeletal disorders vol. 10 37. 16 Apr. 2009, doi:10.1186/1471-2474-10-37

Simão, Roberto et al. “The influence of strength, flexibility, and simultaneous training on flexibility and strength gains.” Journal of strength and conditioning research vol. 25,5 (2011): 1333-8. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181da85bf

Discussing About Sciatica With Dr. Ruja | El Paso, TX (2021)

Dr. Alex Jimenez

Chiropractors & Sciatica Syndrome Expose | El Paso, Tx (2020)

Introduction

In today’s podcast, Dr. Alex Jimenez and Dr. Mario Ruja discuss what sciatica does to the body and how it affects a person’s overall health and wellness.

What Causes Sciatica?

[00:00:06] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Hey Mario, we’re on a new podcast today. Today we’re going to be talking about sciatica and the complications with that. I got Mario here, and we’ve decided to chat and discuss the issues of sciatica.

[00:00:29] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: It sounds excruciating.

[00:00:31] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: You know, let me ask you this. In your practice, Mario, in terms of working with sciatica, what have you learned over the years in terms of sciatica?

[00:00:41] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Sciatica will put you down, Alex. It will make you feel like a baby and make you remember how vital chiropractic is and maintenance. It’s like having that car. For example, if you are driving Buggati and do not do the maintenance, you just put gas. It’s just like, rip it and run it. And then one day, it leaves you hanging in the middle of I-10, and everyone’s passing you, and you’re embarrassed.

[00:01:15] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: It is what sciatica is.

[00:01:18] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: It isn’t very pleasant.

[00:01:20] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: You know, I believe it’s kind of funny that we’re laughing at it, but it is a scourge. I call it of the low back. It catches you off a surprise. It creeps up on you. It looms around, too. Yeah. And when they bite you, I mean it classically defined as pain going down the leg. There’s a lot of reasons why that happens. What do you get when your patients show up with that? What do they tell you? What kind of symptoms do they sort of present?

[00:01:45] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: You got to be kidding me. First of all, their wife drives them in. Does that tell you what it is? Yeah, it’s like a knife stabbing them in the back, and it radiates down their leg, and then they’re usually leaning to one side or another. And then they have this story. Alex, there is this crazy story like, ” Well, I was only…” the only part is ridiculous. “I was only picking up my child,” or “I was only throwing the football, and all of a sudden, my back went out. And then I try to stretch it, and I have my wife rub it. And all of that didn’t work the following day. I couldn’t get out of bed and had to crawl to the bathroom.” Now that is when your attention is on.

[00:02:43] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Yeah.

Dr. Alex Jimenez and Dr. Mario Ruja Explain What Sciatica Does To The Body.

[00:02:44] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Our attention is on sciatica. This is a big topic, Alex.

[00:02:48] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: This is a vast topic, and let me just kind of throw this out there where we are going to begin the process of breaking down sciatica by no means are we going to be able even to know the breadth and width as this is like saying you can take down a sequoia with one bite. It’s not going to happen, and we’re going to have to chisel away from it. And as we go in there, we’re going to go deep. Are we going to get nasty with the science, Mario?

[00:03:14] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: This is getting deep and nasty. Folks will have to strap on their seatbelts for this ride.

[00:03:21] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Absolutely. As we do that, we’re going to be able to kind of go deep into it. We’re going to touch on some subject matters, but follow us on this process because we’re going to be discussing real essential issues about sciatica that affects so many millions of people at any given point. I’d venture to say that one in every four people is suffering from chronic back pain, and half of those people are suffering from sciatica in some form or the other or some pain down the leg. So in that sense, we’re dealing with a huge issue that affects millions of patients and millions of people across the country with all different doctors and different types of protocols. And these protocols can be from really esoteric to invasive. And we all want to do it quickly, and we all want to do it a simple way. So I think modern medicine Mario has determined that we have to go basic and try everything before any surgical interventions.

[00:04:16] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: I mean, it’s common sense, and I always used the car model as an example. Before you get a rebuilt transmission, why don’t you maintain it before you drop a new engine? Why don’t you change the oil and get a tune-up? Unfortunately, again, you mentioned the unbelievable impact of low back pain in our society. I believe I don’t know if I may be in the ballpark. It is the number two or three reasons for work injuries and is one of the biggest reasons for the military to get med boarded out of the military. I mean, this is a big issue that impacts people’s lives, and then you would get into chronic pain management, things like that. But again, if we look at the most critical solution in our life, how can we prevent it? Prevention is the natural utilization of therapeutic arts that decrease the misalignment in the spine. Again, that misalignment is that torque where your back is out of alignment and calibration, right? Which causes uneven wear and tear on the disc. Then the other one is constant compression of sitting down and repetitive motion. The other one is just the injuries from everyday sports activities. More and more young kids are getting injured in sports football, basketball, more intense pain, more torque, and you can see pro basketball players and football players, all of them suffer from sciatica.

[00:06:19] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Yeah. Here’s the cascade. The cascade starts with a decalibration of the pelvis or the hips, or some injury trauma, some space-occupying lesion, or something on this path. I’m going to go ahead and demonstrate here on our pathway, and we’re going to show a little bit of what is in the nerves.

[00:06:43] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: I love this 3-D model you are showing here.

[00:06:43] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Thank you.

[00:06:44] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: This is good stuff.

The Sciatic Nerve

[00:06:46] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: This is the complete anatomy provided for us and what we can see is a three-dimensional aspect of how and why someone has sciatica. Now when you look at this, Mario, what’s your first take? Because for me, it says it’s a complicated structure when we’re looking at this. When you look at the back, where it comes out, you see this big old cable called the sciatic nerve, but you see so many proximal areas and so many regions that are getting weird.

[00:07:11] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: That is a lot of moving parts, Alex.

[00:07:15] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Yes, it is. And you know what? One of the crazy things that I’m looking at here is the sacrum.

[00:07:20] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: And that is the base.

[00:07:21] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: That’s the foundation. The way the creator created us was that this is where energy transmits this bone right here. The sacrum, right? But little to the front of it. You have the sacral nerve roots that come out as they form out. You can see on this particular area; you can see the nerve roots coming out as they come in posterior aspect, you can kind of turn this around and we kind of get this little area here and as we rotate this thing, we can see the sciatic nerve as it comes out of what we call the sacral notch. That sacral notches right there is enormous.

[00:08:03] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: That is crazy.

[00:08:04] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: I know, right? So what happens is when you see it here, you can understand that this big ol’ nerve influences the entire creature. You take this thing out, and you have limited the creature’s ability to move. Please look at it as it comes out; you can look from the inferior border to the superior border. You can see why a woman is pregnant; you can determine why this baby could sit in this pelvic cavity here can cause a lot of damage to the sacral nerve.

[00:08:31] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Many of them suffer from back pain and sciatica.

[00:08:34] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: This is one of the reasons why right here that baby sits and dances in this whole area here. So when we look at this kind of stuff, we can make sense of all the presentations. As you hurt a nerve in one area, you can see that you would hurt as you would do something like this. And the nerve will hurt a distal or pull towards away from it. Once you hurt that region, our goal is to determine the nerve roots going down on that particular area. If this affects all the way down the leg, it will cause pain. Now, you can see in this specific region what goes on.

[00:09:18] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: This is it now. Now you see that this is what I like, and this is a creation. If you believe in miracles, you stop believing and just realize that you’re one walking. Here’s the sacral sacrum right here, the sacred bone, and that’s why it’s called sacrum because it’s sacred.

[00:09:42] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: I didn’t know that. I learned about the scared bone, and it is the base of the spine.

[00:09:48] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: This is where, as you mentioned, this is where the birth comes out. This is where the next legacy is created. So here is the ilium. OK, so that’s your hip bone. You have two of them. There is symmetry in our bodies, and that’s how God created us in symmetrical synergy. Then right here are pubic surfaces, and then you’ve got the operators right there, and then here is that L5 disc, and this is the one where I would say probably about 80 percent of disc herniations happened right there. So if you want to take a wild guess, this is it right here.

Intervertebral Foramen

[00:10:32] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Let me hone in on that right there so I can bring that in a little bit better.

[00:10:42] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: This thing is dancing.

[00:10:43] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: As Dr. Ruja was explaining, he’s talking about in the disk space of the spine right here.

[00:10:51] Dr. Mario Ruja: Right, so see, that is where you have the IVF.

[00:11:00] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Intervertebral foramen.

[00:11:01] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: IVF. Interverebral foramen. There it is, and all that is like a fancy word for it. There’s a hole where the right everything comes out.

[00:11:06] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: So here we start looking at the hole on the side, and as we look at it right there. You can see where the nerve roots come out right there.

[00:11:29] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: So at that point, you see it here.

[00:11:35] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Exactly, and as you turn the model.

[00:11:38] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: OK, right there.

[00:11:41] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: That is the nerve right there.

[00:11:43] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: So this is where how they sit on top of each other right there. Then you can see it from underneath right in there. Now at this point, these nerves, like the fiber optics, are traveling down through these canals and openings and everything. So there are so many places, Alex, that they can be entrapped, compressed, and they can be twisted again. Remember, the big word for us and in our talks is inflammation.

Does Inflammation Causes Problems In The Body?

[00:12:23] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Inflammation yes.

[00:12:26] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Deep inflammation, yes. Now, these are all again if you’re looking like an electrician because I love how electricians work. You look at the fiber optics, and you have to trace it and find out where the issue is? Is it up here? Right here? Is it in the middle? Is it here in the canal? It is right there in that notch is the muscle compress.

[00:13:01] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Oh yeah, you can see it in the muscle compress.

[00:13:12] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: See where it’s pinched right there. That peraforma muscle is now critical. Again, that’s where you see a lot of times you need to release that muscle. Once it compresses, it just goes haywire right there.

[00:13:30] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Yeah, why do they call the peraforma muscle Mario?

[00:13:35] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Tell me, Alex.

[00:13:37] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Because it looks like a pear. When you take it, it’s a fat muscle when you look kind of flat here.

[00:13:43] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: And I visualize in the pear, Alex.

[00:13:44] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Yeah. Here is the top of the pear, and that’s the wide part of the pear.

[00:13:49] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: That’s cute, Alex. I don’t know what kind of pear that is.

[00:13:52] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Exactly.

[00:13:52] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: But yeah, you’re right, it’s pear-shaped. Now I can see it.

[00:13:56] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: This is a crazy part. There’s a superior Escamilla right here in that area so that it can be trapped anywhere. As we look at this from the base point of view, you can see why people start having these symptoms.

[00:14:08] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Yeah, if we look at this pattern, we can also see an increased sedentary lifestyle, Alex. Can you see how all of these muscles are here? The glutes, gluteus minimus, Maximus, the hamstrings. Major squat muscles and the hips. Can you see all of these being deconditioned and compressing on a nerve?

The Lymphatic System

[00:14:40] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Yeah, let me show you this, Mario because I wanted to show you this. When I first started seeing this, I thought this as you begin noticing that you have the venous system, but here’s what people don’t know about the venous system. Next to it is the lymphatic system. Now let me remove these muscles here, and you’re going to see the intricacies of the green lines. These green lines are in the circulatory system.

[00:15:02] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Wow, the green lines are the lymphatic system.

[00:15:05] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: The green is the lymphatic, and the red is arterial. When you start seeing red now, you can see that they have problems with their circulation when someone sits down a lot. And as you can see here, imagine sitting down all day on top of this thing? Can you see how the inflammation would happen in that region?

[00:15:25] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Alex, look at how much is happening in that pelvic area. I mean, this is like fiber optics just strapped, and this is like compress. Already, there is not that much space going on here, Alex. I mean, you’ve got nerves, arteries, veins, and lymph, all of those going through the same canal. So there is not a lot of what I call, you know, space and forgiveness. That’s why this radiating pain down the leg compresses that area that the flow down the leg is activated. That’s why your leg goes numb and your muscles to a large extent after a long time of having this problem. What happens, Alex, with a lot of my patients is they get muscle atrophy. You know, they gain muscle weakness, and that’s where your muscles shrink.

[00:16:40] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Let me show you the additional muscles here. You see, that’s why we train because all these muscles here are surrounding and covering up this area, and the muscle decalibrates.

[00:17:00] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Decalibrates.Is that like a fancy word for saying it just…

[00:17:05] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: De-conditions?

[00:17:06] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: That flops down?

[00:17:08] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: For me, I like the word calibration because it is a fine-tuned structure. Philosophically speaking, they got a bump at this ball that follows them everywhere when you look at humans. This power unit, right? This throttling system, it’s the glutes. Some have it more significant than others, right? But here’s where we propel from; it is the source of power. It is the way the creature creates its anchor. If the hips are gone, the beast doesn’t survive. So when we look at this, and we look at someone who was an athletic person when they were young and all of a sudden they get this job where they sit in front of a computer, they don’t go out. What happens to them? They decalibrated like a car. It doesn’t get used, and before you know it, it starts sinking and becoming flattered, and eventually, the inner workings that we just came from really start grinding. So when there’s congestion, the lymphatic system is responsible for the circulation. But the lymphatic system, unlike the arterial and venous system, which works primarily with the heart pumping, is functional by motion. So when you sit down, you are not moving.

[00:18:16] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: You know what, Alex? It is the sacral occipital pump; when you’re talking about the CSF cerebral spinal fluid, I can tell you right now when that sacrum is not pumping back and forth when you’re walking, you know what happens? It’s stagnating to flow to your brain.

[00:18:36] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: It does.

[00:18:37] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Yeah, all the way to your brain. Then the area that you talked about that I think is critical. You’ve got to keep the body moving. We are created as bipeds. We do not walk like gorillas who walk on all fours. I know sometimes you feel like one, but we’re not apes. That’s right; we’re not silverback apes. The thing is, we’re bipeds. So that means the whole body has to align and stand up. Alex, in every sport, I tell people I’m impressed with your biceps, but your core sucks. You know what? Your core determines your overall function. That is where you keep your body upright, and you create that calibration of your spine. Once that that lordosis, that curve into your back. Once that is lost, you’re degenerating; you’re aging. There it is, right there.

[00:19:41] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Let’s go ahead and take a look at that right there. Yeah, that’s the lordosis you’re talking about in the spine.

The Lordosis

[00:19:56] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Can you draw the lordosis out?

[00:19:59] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Of course.

[00:20:01] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Wow, that is crazy, Alex.

[00:20:06] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: That is crazy.

[00:20:10] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: OK, so let’s do the pink pen for pain on the lordosis.

[00:20:17] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: That curve along with this curve makes a big difference. So what happens is you end up understanding that this sacrum or this glute area influences a vast area. What I’ve learned in my practice is that when you have a person with a sciatic issue, there are upper back issues, and there are shoulder issues now if the lower back has problems…

[00:20:53] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: It throws everything off, and it’s like a domino effect.

[00:20:56] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Yeah. What do you think about when they tell you, Hey, the person only hurt their lower back, and this is a work-related job? And similarly, they say it’s only related to the back. Yet they come in with leg pain, arm pain, and it makes sense to us, but nobody wants to understand that.

[00:21:11] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Yeah, that’s because they don’t want to, Alex. That’s where they want to lie, and it’s a lie. Remember when your mama told you it is not OK to lie?

[00:21:34] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: You know what? Why don’t we just say for what it is? They’re lying. They understood why they don’t understand that the body is a biomechanical chain, and if it affects the hips, it starts affecting the lower back, which then affects the upper back. And everybody knows if you have a back that’s giving up, your shoulders will have issues. If you got shoulder problems, it is equally on the opposite side of the room; you’re going to have knee issues. So what happens is as we look at this dynamic model, we see that we can’t be telling a fib here.

The Trapezius

[00:22:06] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: The spine is one unit composed of many segments. OK, it’s not separate. So there is no way that you can have an injury to one part of the spine, and you can tell me 100 percent that it does not affect any other one. It’s impossible. I’m sorry, God didn’t create it. If you want to see it here, look at this ischium muscle as it goes all the way across. Look at this one. This one is amazing. I’m just going to do this. Here is here’s the muscle right here, trapezius. Now watch as it goes from here to where the shoulders are down, then go to the neck in the back of the neck.

[00:23:32] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Let me clear up the pen marks, OK?

[00:23:35] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Can you move the body down?

[00:23:38] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Yes, I can, and there you go.

[00:23:44] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: So I want to show one example so you can see all the way to the base of the head.

[00:23:49] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: OK, I got you.

[00:23:52] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Alright.

[00:23:57] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Well, here’s what you want to show. I think what you’re trying to show is that you’re trying to show the negative muscles and see all the good stuff in there.

[00:24:06] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Yeah, but I want to show you just that top layer, the trapezius.

[00:24:10] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Oh, let’s go to the muscular portion.

[00:24:11] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: So it goes all the way from the base. Can you zoom out so we can see the whole thing?

[00:24:16] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Sure can.

[00:24:18] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: OK, lift the model.

[00:24:20] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: I wish I could.

[00:24:23] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Now here it is, and this is how dynamic this is. When people say, Oh, you only hurt your neck, but not your mid-back. Here it is. Trapezius right here goes from the base of the skull down the shoulders, right there, all the way down to the mid-back. OK, and this is probably like T10 T11, right? Somewhere around there, right by the middle and all the way across. So this whole area right there, that’s one muscle, and if you have an injury here in this area, this will affect all the way here then if you go in deeper into the second and third layer of the muscle.

[00:25:50] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Let me click here for you to see it.

[00:25:53] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Now it gets crazy.

[00:25:55] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: When we start removing muscular layers or increasing muscle layers, you start looking at all the functions.

[00:26:02] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Oh, look at that, the super spinadeus, And look at this right here. Vader scapula and from the shoulder all the way to the head is scalenus calculus.

[00:26:24] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: OK, so what we’re looking at here, we’re looking at the unbelievable body, but let’s go back to the area of concern.

[00:26:33] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: All right, you see how connected it is, Alex.

What Are The Causes of Sciatica?

[00:26:36] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Here’s the deal, OK? You and I know that the whole darn thing is connected, right? We can determine what is going on after dealing with the many patients we’ve seen over the years. And we’re like violin instructors. We touch the violin, and we make this body move. Our job is to understand when someone comes in and physically to see where this problem is. Find out where the issues are; there are tons of issues, and we haven’t even begun. We’re just having a general conversation about sciatica and where the issues are. What we don’t want is we don’t wish to surgical intervention at any early state unless it’s really necessary. Now what we’re looking at is when we see this, nobody wants that. So how do we fix this? So there are tons of ways to do that.

[00:27:26] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Can we go back to the slides of the causation for sciatica?

[00:27:34] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Absolutely. I’m going to take you back to the causation when you get over there in a second. The causation is right here, and we are looking at it.

[00:27:51] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: The first one is compression.

[00:27:52] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Compression of the disc.

[00:27:54] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Compression due to the lack of calibration balance within the system. So you have uneven compression and then a lot of sitting down; we talked about that, right? And then inflammation again, inflammatory process. We spoke last week about metabolic syndrome, inflammation. Inflammation affects the whole body and the disc bulging. Number two right there is disc bulging. That one again is due to what? The spine is out of calibration, out of alignment, putting uneven pressure, and it’s just like squeezing a balloon or a donut. That’s a classic example. You put pressure on a donut on one side, and it will crack, then you go from this bulge to worse herniation. Herniation and then fractures. Of course, if you have trauma DDD, that’s a funny thing. Degenerative disc disease.

Degenerative Disc Disease

[00:28:58] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Yes, early degenerative issues.

[00:29:00] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Right? And I love it because most people come into my clinic go, “Oh, I have degenerative disc diseases like I’m getting old,” and I say, “No. You had no maintenance on your back, and you’re not old. ” If you would have taken better care of your body, you wouldn’t have degeneration. They act as though this is normal; however, it is not normal; this is just a sign of the breakdown.

[00:29:23] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: You know, the magnitude of either of us uncovering or discovering where a person has an issue. All of these things have ways that we can help it. What’s crazy about it is that we have to go against the grain in our methods because you would not think exercise would be a helpful tool right for this. However, exercise is one of the best things for we have to calibrate that pelvis if it’s appropriate. It’s a herniated disc, and it’s a bad one. We have to go ahead and surgically remove that; if not, we do anti-inflammatories, do we do natural methods, and get that body working and calibrating. Sometimes what happens is these people come in. These individuals are patients who come in and suddenly have a pain that just crept up on them over the last couple of weeks. Sometimes they have a slipped injury, a slipped disc, or even a vertebra that’s been fractured for years and now presents with the issues. Sometimes it’s a neurological presentation. Sometimes it’s a metabolic disorder like metabolic syndrome, and they have an inflammatory condition. What I’ve noticed, and I’m sure you’ve seen it too, is that these people who have sciatica live with this looming monster. It’s almost like a snake that lives in their pants, and when it bites them, it gets their whole leg. It disrupts people’s lives. Figuring out where the cause is is very important. So as we go over these things, I mean, it’s essential to go over the regions. I’ve even seen patients where they come in thinking it was sciatica. And sure enough, it’s sad, but it’s a tumor. And in that situation, we move on too quickly. I got to tell you, in the situations where we’ve had it, we’ve had great teamwork and resolved many issues for a lot of patients.

[00:31:06] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: That’s the beauty of how we think, Alex. We think in terms of integration. So, just because you have a hammer, everything doesn’t look like a nail. We are chiropractors, but at the same time, we are physicians. And what that means is that we know about physiology, anatomy, neurology, all of that. So we can understand that the pain sensor is not the problem. The pain sciatica is not the problem. We look for the causation of the problem, Alex. And that is in many ways, the misalignment, the compression, the inflammation, the disc bulging again, bone spurs, and many times people will say, Well, I have bone spurs because I’m getting old. No, bone spurs are created because there is a misalignment and lack of calibration in your spine where the body is attempting to self-regulate, self align, and it’s called the wolf’s law. You know, its law is the same principle that deals with the fracture healing fracture where you have pressure, that’s where you have increased calcification. Alex, is that correct?

[00:32:22] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: It’s the same thing when you work out; when you work out, you get calluses right because the body responds to stress by increasing and protecting the tissue. The same thing happens with the spine. Suppose it starts unloading improperly, then before you know it, the wolf’s law kicks in, the osteoclast start losing, which are the ones that take away bone, and the osteoblasts start winning. Then you have an increase of bone growth in a direction, usually in the direction of the force. So, in essence, the body tries to protect it, so you can imagine if someone’s going like in the leaning tower. Well, it’s on this side that the body protects it to prevent it from falling over. So, in essence, as we look at these degenerative diseases, we try to get them early on, and we try to mobilize. In most scenarios, we can help the individual by different methods and different techniques. And we use a lot of other methods and techniques to help individuals through this process.

Spinal Stenosis

[00:33:18] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: I want to go through a couple of points. You know, we’re talking about spinal stenosis. Again, the start of spinal stenosis is the misalignment of your spine, which chiropractic has the beautiful art. This is the art and science of correcting that. So the more alignment, the more clarity, the more balance you have in your spine. The more maintenance you receive to your spine, the less spinal stenosis you will have later on in your life. Or again, spinal stenosis. You know, the other one that we’re looking at is degenerative disc disease or disc herniation. I believe that I look at the body in the 25+ years of my practice; the better maintenance you give your body, the fewer issues, and the less breakdown wear and tear you will have later on in your life. So I look at is that we are anti-aging doctors in terms of biomechanics, so we help the body maintain its optimal function for a more extended period. So that way, when you’re in your 60s and 70s, and 80s, you can walk by yourself without a cane, and you can function. You can do a squat. I love fitness calibration every time, you know. Danny is awesome. With PUSH, Danny is tremendous in terms of a fitness core. And this is where the synergy comes in. The more miles, the more wear and tear, the more pounding you put on your body. The more maintenance you need, the more recovery work. And too many people, Alex, have this idea like, Oh, my back hurts, I just need to squat more. I just need to do more weights. I just need to be in a gym, no. It’s like me telling you I don’t need count maintenance and tune-ups on my car. I just need to drive it more now. So the more miles you put on your bag, the more you squat, the more calibration you need. Why? Because eventually, your body is going to go out of alignment.

[00:35:32] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: You know, as we look at disorders, like you said, spinal stenosis. There are many reasons we can have spinal stenosis, from a disc to just arthritic issues. But when we have an individual who suddenly has issues, OK, this is not a sudden, you know, kind of thing that the spinal stenosis doesn’t happen unless it’s a massive disc herniation that occurs in one moment. Yeah, but these things and what we’re talking about spinal stenosis, there are different reasons. And in the treatments are many methods are just, you know, microanatomy. There’s also a laminectomy which is to remove the pressure. But the bottom line is very little wrong with the nerve. The issue is compressive forces. So what do we have to do in the situation where there is a biomechanical imbalance in the pelvic girdle most of the time.

[00:36:20] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: So it is structure impedes on the nerve.

[00:36:23] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Yes. And as we do that, we evaluate that there are certain things like age, obesity, or even less of a life of activity. What are other things, Mario?

What Are The Occupations That Cause Sciatica?

[00:36:33] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Sedentary lifestyle, repetitive occupational motion?

[00:36:36] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: What kind of occupations would have sciatica?

[00:36:40] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Truck drivers. Why? By sedentary vibration. Eight to ten hours by sitting down. Secretaries, I mean, you can go on and on, people working in banks and teachers even.

[00:36:57] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: We have patients that go to the Southern Union railroad, the engineers, the vibration, the bouncing over 30 years of vibrating. Eventually, the bone activates the spine clouds, or you have spinal stenosis, and they have back disc issues, and they have degenerative diseases.

[00:37:14] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Athletes have a repetitive toque like a golfer. How many golfers do you know that have no back pain? None. How about baseball players?

[00:37:25] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: How about our buddy, Tiger Woods?

[00:37:27] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Yeah, what happened to him?

[00:37:28] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Yeah, what did people think? People thought he might have been having some issues with alcohol. Still, the reality is he’s taking medication after surgery, and suddenly, he’s driving, and he probably forgot to take medicine. You know, they took a pill and started to get addicted, and this is the issue. We got to figure out how to fix these issues calibrating. But I got to tell you; there are a lot of ways we can help people. The issue is that once we understand where the problem comes from, the plan of attack can take off. There are different issues and different types of diagnoses. We have here a little bit of a window where you can take a look at that. You can see that sciatica is a symptom. It’s a presentation of syndromes. It’s a pain down the leg, but there are tons of reasons.

[00:38:14] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Now the causation is right there, right?

[00:38:17] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Well, look at all of these things, and it is ridiculous.

[00:38:21] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Wow.

[00:38:22] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: The one people think about a lot is peraforma syndrome, and that’s only one component. Then when that doesn’t work, your little stretches, you try to figure out what’s causing it could be tendinopathy, it could be bursitis. Look at all these issues when we go in here; when we look at these particular issues, we can look at other subsequent areas causing problems. You mentioned it before the four sets; this degeneration redevelops the quadrant is formoral area.

[00:38:48] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: So let’s make this simple. Otherwise, you know, people will listen to us and go; it’s a lot. It’s a lot, and this is like a fire hydrant, and I just have my mouth over it. Alex, this is what we got. Number one, it all comes down to foundation and function, right? If we go back on each of these things from, you know, four-set syndrome, this degeneration, ridiculous hip, you know, formoral impingement, quadrennial femoral, you know, abnormalities all of these. The root of all of these is the misalignment and lack of calibration of the neuromuscular system. I mean, when you go down to it, the majority, I’m not saying 100 percent, let’s not do that. Let’s not be silly tonight. No. The point is the majority, if we can do a better job for our community, if we can do a better job in terms of our athletes, is to create a maintenance calibration system for them, we would decrease a lot of these degenerative disc diseases and diagnoses, we would stop them before they blow up in their face.

Different Methods To Treat Sciatica

[00:40:19] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Let me ask you this. What kind of things in terms of our diagnostic abilities, what we use different methods to diagnose?

[00:40:26] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: I love MRI.

[00:40:28] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: In terms of sciatica, X-rays are good, but MRIs can tell you what the problem is.

[00:40:34] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: That’s it, and we’re talking about like a Tesla ten. I don’t know if they have it, and I think it’s sorry about it. I just got crazy tonight. Nah, they didn’t make it. We’re going to get some calls. Tesla, what?

[00:40:46] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: We got a great radiologist, and they help us hone in on particular areas.

[00:40:54] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: They have a three-point-o or something?

A Relationship With Your Radiologist

[00:40:59] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: The whole idea is a relationship with our radiologists. Our radiologists are our eyes and ears on the deep tissues. I can tell you that we do have the best radiologists working with us. We do. I mean, the city has some top-end radiologists people, and when we send them to them, they communicate with us and tell us where the problem is that from there we go at it from once we know where it’s at. We use cat scans. We use ultrasound. We use bone scans.

[00:41:29] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Why is it a question? OK, this is going to get a little crazy and a little nasty tonight. Why is it that most doctors, Alex order X-rays first? Why is it? I can never understand for myself. You know what I tried to go straight to the issue was to go to MRI. Why is it?

[00:41:51] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: The standard of care is many insurance carriers will want an X-ray first to see if it’s a degenerative bone structure to be able to bleed on that. But we all understand that the best possible option for actually assessing it is to kind of rule out some things. If you want to look at bone, you do a cat scan to do the soft tissues. Well, this is soft tissue. So then you do an MRI with contrast, and you can see the deep tissues and the separation and the inflammation for any prolonged issues occurring.

[00:42:21] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: That’s why, to me, Alex, that makes sense if we’re looking at diagnosing disk and nerve issues, right? Why is it that we use an instrument many times and I see this and agree with you. All of the insurances are going in and saying, Hey, you need to do an X-ray first. We won’t let you do the MRI, do they? I’m like, but X-rays don’t show any soft tissues.

[00:42:46] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: I think it’s a common thing. It’s almost like when you go to a dentist, you know, they scan all the teeth. It’s pretty easy to generalize. You know, there are times when the standard of care is into that today? For the low back, the standard of care is an X-ray as an initial entry point. So from there, I’ve learned, and I have gotten this lately, that most insurance carriers are very open to allowing the individual based on a presentation to do whatever it takes. They don’t stop. That’s a real beautiful change that’s happened since I’d say for the last five years; it’s a whole different game. So we get to see that we do nerve conduction and nerve testing to see the speed at which the nerve pulses. So we can find that AMG’s electromyography and see how the muscles are. But you don’t need to be doing that stuff for sciatica when you know the person is in severe pain. Now, if you want to prove it, that’s when you do the NCBI. Other than that, the person will not come in telling you that they have pain. Now sciatica because I call it the scourge because it just annoys you. It stops you from doing, you don’t sleep, you get to lay down, and the darn thing just activates. And there you got this electric current preventing you sleep. People come in with their eyes bloodshot and unable to enjoy their lives. This changes the quality, and we need to fix these things.

Does Sciatica Cause Inflammation?

[00:44:09] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: It affects families. Alex, let’s get down to it. You know what? It affects your relationship with your spouse, with your children, at work. You know, you go to work, and you’re angry. Yes, you’re just mad at the world, and people are trying to figure out, like, what’s wrong, man? And it’s like, “You know what? I’m dealing with stuff.” And then that chronicity after a while, you’re like, “I don’t know what to do. I’m taking too many meds. I’m taking 800 milligrams every day for like five months.”

[00:44:39] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Let’s give the people out there who may want some information a little bit of insight into the other options they have. Because what’s the name of the game here? What are sciatica and inflammation? It’s what it always has and always will be. So what we got to do is do what we can, and many people ask me, What are my options? Well, we have here a breakdown of certain things, and we’re going to discuss these things in real extensive detail over the next couple of months. And we’re going to hit this thing as we will be dealing with sciatica and vitamin C, D, calcium. We’re going deep all these things, you can take a screenshot of this, and you can say berberine. We got glucosamine, ACL, carnitine, alpha-lipoic acid, ashwagandha, soluble fiber, vitamin E, green tea, turmeric. A lot of these things have a lot to do with metabolic syndrome. But guess what? When you have metabolic syndrome, which is what?

[00:45:36] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Inflammation.

[00:45:37] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: So what we’ve noticed, Mario, and correct me if you see something different.

Ashwagandha

[00:45:44] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: I love that word ashwagandha.

[00:45:47] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Yeah, I love it too.

[00:45:55] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: It’s like, we’re going to meditate pretty soon, Alex.

[00:46:01] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: So, as we kind of look at these options, we really can discuss deep levels of biomedical science here, OK. Because everyone wants to know what we can do, but since we’re dealing with, let’s say, just on the angle of metabolic syndrome, again, we got to tie in another beast insulin. Insulin inflammation susceptibility. And here, we correlate. It may seem far away, but if you take a hundred people with metabolic syndrome, these people are susceptible to sciatica and the stuff we hold on to.

[00:46:46] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Let’s make it simple. How many people do you know with metabolic syndrome that don’t have back pain or sciatica? OK, let’s make it. Let’s make it simple.

[00:46:58] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: We got to tie together, and this is where we do it. National in clinical practice, what we do is we make these connections. And the bottom line is we start changing people’s habits, you know, simple things like instead of having a pop or something else only option you should have as green tea. Green tea is an antioxidant anti-inflammatory. We start changing the metabolic processes, begin cutting the gut grease, and all that starts happening.

[00:47:27] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: OK. We’re mixing ashwagandha with gut grease. You know what? People are going to remember this forever, Alex.

[00:47:34] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: If you kind of see what we’re got, we’re saying it is complex. We can go down one rabbit hole and say we got the moment of truth or the thing that’s important. But the reality is that the low back causes neck pain. A lot of people will look at it and say, Why does that happen? Well, as Mario said, you know, God didn’t name it as neck pain. God didn’t call it lumbar spine. We named it the vertebral column. It’s the whole darn thing that is connected. From the moment you heal, strike your head feels the shockwave, right? So when we look at that, when we assess that, we can see that the body has a massive implication when some large nerve, late-deciding nerve, gets offset. So what we can do is first figure out, mitigate the issues, control them and come up with a treatment plan that works appropriately for the patients. So as we do these things, we will go over all those beautiful ideas that we have going on here. And I just wanted to let you know that we’re going to be discussing many more subject matters.

Vitamin D3

[00:48:35] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: There it is vitamin D3. That is why I love vitamin D3, and it’s everywhere.

[00:48:43] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Four hundred disorders. A 400 percent decrease in all risk mortality or times decreases disease mortality with vitamin D. This is like the magical thing? I mean, common sense. I mean, what’s our biggest organ, right? It’s the skin. So when we live in the sun city, right, what happens?

[00:49:07] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: We absorb the sun’s rays.

[00:49:09] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: And that should be the healthiest.

[00:49:11] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Hey, I want to get crazy tonight. All right. Sun City vitamin D. We should be the healthiest on the planet.

[00:49:22] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: That’s it. I mean, it’s essential. So what did we get called about a couple of decades ago? Mario, you remember that we were named the fattest sweaty town in the country?

[00:49:35] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: That angers me, and that should motivate and pump people up. That right there should be the wake-up call and the battle cry of El Paso and the whole region. Never again will you ever open your mouth and say that because we are the best.

Treatment Protocols

[00:50:00] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: We are. We are very family-based and a location and a community, but we suffer from metabolic syndrome, which implicates issues. And one of them is sciatica. I got to tell you; there isn’t a day that half my patients coming in have sciatica, and you and I have been doing this between 25 and 30 years, right? So as we’ve been pounding and fixing these disorders. And you’ve got to tell you there are studies where we see that when doctors of all different sorts refer for a surgical consult, there’s a high tendency to have surgical, you know, focus when you go to a nonmusculoskeletal special like a physical therapist or chiropractor, we kind of filter out the situation when in our path or an available position to see the lower back pain. They throw it into the orthopedic surgeon, and only five to 10 percent of most studies show that those become surgical the ones we send. About 50 percent are surgical. That means we do a great job of filtering out before they have that issue. In other words, we fix the problem, and the ones we do refer to these.

[00:51:17] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Yes, that’s right.

[00:51:19] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Game on. So we want to make sure you know that you know that we need that for your orthopedist out there. We require that option, that modality, but we don’t do that kind of procedure. But it’s necessary for terms of the common treatment protocol, you know, the mainstay of sciatica.

[00:51:38] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: It’s gabapentin. Just adding on to that, we refer to real cases, you know? When someone comes in, they need it. It’s not like, Oh, you know what? We’re going to waste people’s time. They need it. Because again, the new model now for back problems and especially sciatica is noninvasive. OK, noninvasive care first for at least two to three months.

[00:52:10] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Well, you know, I’m on my point of view on those guidelines. You know, every person is different.

[00:52:17] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Yeah. ODG guidelines, Alex.

[00:52:21] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: And what happens is that you can oversee the treatment protocols when we look at these dynamics.

[00:52:31] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Yeah, there it is. The treatment protocols. You know, I look at treatment. Chiropractic care, a lifestyle change. Metabolic syndrome, we’re looking at physical therapy; we need everyone on board. Acupuncture, drugs again. Medication for pain. Anti-inflammatory muscle relaxers. Nutraceuticals, herbals, steroid injections. Yeah, those are what we call lying like the second you, even with a lot of the patients, it’s after conservative care by the time they get to that phase. And then, of course, you have surgery, surgical procedures. So yeah, you must go with our patients. We go from noninvasive to invasive care.

[00:53:36] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: These procedures are the ones we do.

[00:53:47] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Now with those. And that’s a foam roller right at the storm rolling, that means releasing the goods, the pure performance right there. And again, a lot of our viewers will think, hold on. I can’t even walk, and I can’t do that. But again, this is the secondary phase, Alex. This is the second phase. Furthermore, we’re not getting people out, and all of a sudden, they can’t walk in there. They’re, you know, doing box jumps. No, this is the secondary self first care correct release the pressure brake and the pain pattern and then stabilize and correct the muscle imbalance. So those are things because I think a lot of times, you know, many people ask me like, “Oh, you know what? I want to go work out.” I’m going on like, Hey, slow down, superstar, let’s not workout. You know, let’s not work out. Let’s correct the problem. Calibrate your back. Then you work out, and then you do a process of what I call periodicity. That means you scale it. You got to crawl before you walk and walk before you run. So let’s not be superheroes, and a lot of people just aren’t patient.

[00:55:08] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: I agree with you.

[00:55:09] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: They’re not patient. They want things now. You know this has been created. This sciatica and back problems have been created for years. No maintenance for like 10 20 years. And they expect to walk into the office and, in one visit, do jumping jacks. You know what? Sorry but it’s not going to happen. So that’s where people want again. We do our best, but we don’t look for quick fixes. If you wish for the symptoms to go away but are not corrected, then you’re going to deal with the problem. That’s going to be lingering for years and years, and it’s going to get worse, you know, and those pain sensors. This is what’s so important. God created a body such as such a miraculous system, and we can’t even duplicate this. The most potent technology developed to wear the sensors, the awareness, proprioception within our body, and pain is effective. I often tell people, don’t block the pain because it is healthy because it tells you to stop. That pain is that red light on your dash that says, don’t drive the car, don’t park it, and fix it. Please don’t unplug the light and keep driving it. And this is where our society and our, you know, immediate care. I want things now. I can’t wait. Just like fitness, you know, people want to get fit in like like a week.

[00:56:47] Dr. Alex Jimenez DC*: Like, come on, it’s not going to happen.

Conclusion

[00:56:50] Dr. Mario Ruja DC*: Same thing with your health. It takes time, and you have to get the proper diagnosis. You know, the intense lab work, the genomics, the inflammatory. I mean, this is like I tell people, you’ve got to invest in your health or your sickness. Either way, you’re going to spend the money, either way, but once, you’re going to enjoy the fruits of that investment. The other one, you’re just going to drag. So the process of diagnostics from MRI’s, the process of diagnostics to look at metabolic syndrome, to look at your inflammatory process, that’s an investment. And then with those tools with that information, you got to have created baselines, Alex. If you don’t know where you’re at, you don’t know where you’re going. Now that’s what I would say is I want to motivate and empower people to invest in that process because it’s not an overnight thing and people want it. I tell them that they have got to understand. Be disciplined, be relentless and see the results for life instead of patching up your health.

[00:58:15] Dr.Alex Jimenez DC*: This is very dear and near to all of us here because sciatica affects so many individuals. We’re going to be discussing all these issues one section at a time. We’re going to bring an explanation. We’re going to give you an answer. We’re going to provide you with options. We’re going to provide you with treatments. We’re going to come up with a way that we’re going to find the best possible treatment protocol for you. And if not, we’re going to give you at least a basis to ask your doctors exactly what the best approach is, and you’re going to at least know the different directions you can take because we must understand this disorder. It may be simple to many people, but it debilitates you. You integrate way when you have it. We’re going to bring this to you. If you ever want to ask us personal questions and call us personally, Mario makes himself available 24-7 via phone number (915)494-4468. Always has been, and you get called all the time as he is right now. My phone number is(915)850-0900. And here we have, Mario, and I want to thank you all for allowing us to go over these things. This is also Mario’s website at: rujahealth.com. It’s easy, and it’s a fantastic site. We got me over here. This is my address and my phone, and then there’s Daniel Alvarado, where he works from the PUSH Fitness center. So we welcome you guys to see what’s cooking here and seeing what’s happening, and we wish you the best of everything that’s happening. So as we go through that. Mario, it’s been a blessing, brother and I look forward to going over more details with you in the next couple of days, and we will start recording more and more as time goes on. God bless.

Disclaimer

Preoperative Anxiety Spine Surgery

Dr. Alex Jimenez

Trauma patient talking with nurse — Young patient with trauma talking with recovery nurse

Nervousness, fear, anxiety, and discouragement are common and natural feelings to have while awaiting surgery. Preparing for spinal surgery can cause individuals to experience what is known as preoperative anxiety. A study suggests that preoperative anxiety affects from 60 to 80% of individuals. There can be a lot of unknowns going into spinal surgery. Individuals can experience preoperative anxiety:

Over the procedure itself.
By imagining what could go wrong?
How is the body going to recover?
The temporary changes in functioning post-surgery.
The post-surgical pain and discomfort.
What will the results be?

Learning how to decrease surgery stress will improve the procedure and recovery. There are ways to overcome this anxiety with tips from a pain psychologist.

Table of Contents

Getting Educated and Informed

A pain psychologist recommends spending as much time as needed to discuss the surgery with the surgeon/provider. Ask the doctor if it is possible to speak with other patients who have gone through the same surgery to learn more about the procedure and what to expect with the recovery. Searching the internet is fine, but it is recommended not to get caught up searching non-reputable websites as there is a lot of misleading information that can lead to unnecessary stress. Ask the doctor to share statistics of positive outcomes versus complications to provide reassurance and to determine if surgery is the right option based on the specific condition.

Going In With The Right Mindset

Having a heightened level of anxiety or depression can contribute to poor surgical outcomes. Individuals that focus on the worst-case scenario are more likely to have higher levels of pain after surgery. Having the right mindset, staying calm and positive can decrease preoperative anxiety and can optimize recovery.

Preparation and Planning

Mental preparation and planning for surgery will set the mind and body at ease. This means:

Knowing the anticipated healing timeline.
The recovery phases the body will go through.
How long they will last?
What is needed for optimal recovery?
Support during each step.
Recommended medical follow-up.
Post-surgical treatment/rehabilitation plan.

Understand the Pros and Cons

Before surgery, it can be beneficial to understand the pros and cons of the surgery. Speaking with the surgeon to learn this information can create a clear, concise picture of what to expect and the recovery timeline.

Relaxation

It is important to learn relaxation skills to stay positive and calm before and after surgery. Relaxation exercises can be very effective at all stages of pre-and post-surgery. Learn how to:

Manage thinking positively.
Avoid catastrophizing.
These can be accomplished through:
Meditation
Slow walks
Gentle yoga as long as it is cleared by the doctor.

Understand the Time

Knowing what will go into post-surgery recovery and having realistic expectations will create a sense of confidence.

Support System

Having a healthy support system will increase positivity and can speed up recovery. This can include:

A partner.
Family members.
Close friends.
They can help before and after surgery with physical assistance or just to listen.

Consult a Professional Pain Psychologist

Help from a behavioral health specialist or a pain psychologist can be beneficial in reducing anxiety and promoting positive surgical outcomes. They help deal with the pain, pre, and post-surgery, rehabilitation, life moving forward, etc.

Body Composition

Carbohydrates Simple and Complex

Simple carbs are a quick, scattered source of energy, and complex carbs are a healthy source of steady energy. Complex carbs are not as readily available for immediate energy as simple carbs are, but they are more efficient and healthier. Complex carbs provide sustainable energy, meaning the energy is constant with no crash like simple carbs. Complex carbs release slowly and should be the most significant component of daily energy intake. When it comes to muscle gain, complex carbohydrates can help:

Prevent Muscle Weakness

Glycogen is stored in the muscles. When the muscles are used during physical activity or exercise, the body taps into the glycogen stores for that particular muscle. Athletes take advantage of glycogen by consuming carbs (carbo-loading) a day or more before a workout to maximize the muscle glycogen stores. This helps delay fatigue and improve performance, making for a better workout and stronger muscles.

Prevent Muscle Degradation

One concern about consuming a low-carb diet is muscle loss. A study compared a low-carb diet to other diets and found that restricting carbohydrates results in protein loss. This is because restricting carbohydrates causes an increase in the amount of nitrogen that gets excreted by the body. Nitrogen is a component of amino acids that forms muscle proteins, with a loss in nitrogen indicating that the muscles are breaking down.

References

Beck, Kathryn L et al. “Role of nutrition in performance enhancement and postexercise recovery.” Open access journal of sports medicine vol. 6 259-67. 11 Aug. 2015, doi:10.2147/OAJSM.S33605

First, Get Educated: The Spine Journal (July 2018) “Anxiety and depression in spine surgery—a systematic integrative review” www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1529943018301281.

Hearris, Mark A, et al. “Regulation of Muscle Glycogen Metabolism during Exercise: Implications for Endurance Performance and Training Adaptations.” Nutrients vol. 10,3 298. 2 Mar. 2018, doi:10.3390/nu10030298

How Attitude Can Affect Recovery: Journal of Neurosurgery. (November 2017) “Influence of catastrophizing, anxiety, and depression on in-hospital opioid consumption, pain, and quality of recovery after adult spine surgery” thejns.org/spine/view/journals/j-neurosurg-spine/28/1/article-p119.xml

International Journal of Surgery Open. (2018) “Prevalence and factors associated with preoperative anxiety among elective surgical patients at University of Gondar Hospital. Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia, 2017. A cross-sectional study” www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405857217300475

Thoracic Upper Back Pain

Dr. Alex Jimenez

Concentrated medical worker massaging back of patient — Serious osteopath embracing female client and doing rehabilitation exercise on back

The thoracic upper back or middle back is designed for stability to anchor the rib cage and protect the organs within the chest. Compared to the neck and lower back, the upper back is highly resistant to injury and pain. When thoracic upper back pain does present, it is usually brought on from long-term poor posture or an injury that overwhelms the sturdiness. It is less common than lower back and neck pain, but it does affect around 20% of the population and primarily women. It can occur for a variety of reasons, and chiropractic treatment can bring long-term relief.

Table of Contents

Thoracic Upper Back Pain

The thoracic upper back is crucial for various functions related to:

Neural tissue health
Organ protection
Arm function
Breathing mechanics
Trunk support

The delicate balance and function can create potential issues and imbalances, causing soreness, strain, and pain. Underlying causes for thoracic upper back pain include:

Direct impact on the area.
Injury from a fall, sports, or automobile accident.
Unhealthy posturing/positions that place added strain on the spine, causing misalignment.
Repetitive motions and overuse like pulling, pushing, reaching, and twisting.
Repetitive/Improper shoulder mechanics can lead to muscle imbalance and poor movement.
Poor core mechanics.
Nerve dysfunction.

Muscular irritation

Muscular irritation usually comes from unconditioned muscles and a lack of strength.
The shoulder attaches large muscles to the shoulder blade and the back of the rib cage.
These are large muscles and are prone to developing strains or tightness.

Joint dysfunction

Caused by a sudden injury.
Natural spinal degeneration from aging.
Facet joint cartilage and/or joint capsule tearing.

Chiropractic

Chiropractic can realign the spine and body if experiencing any of the following:

Symptoms that keep returning even with the use of medication.
Home remedies do not bring adequate relief.
Unable to prevent symptoms from presenting.
Chronic pain.

Injury Medical Chiropractic and Functional Medicine Clinic will develop a personalized/customized treatment plan specific to the individual’s needs. Treatment will include:

Spinal adjustments to improve alignment and nerve integrity.
Therapeutic massage.
Posture training to increase spinal alignment.
Exercise training to restore muscular balance.
Health coaching.
Anti-Inflammatory Diet.

Body Composition

Sitting For Prolonged Periods

Weakened Muscles

Metabolism is linked with body composition, meaning that increased muscle increases metabolism helping to burn more calories.

When sitting, the gluteal muscles, abdominal muscles, and legs become inactive.
Sitting for extended periods day after day can cause these muscles to degenerate.
Consistent muscle loss from the lower body can hurt the body’s functional strength and, with age, increase the risk of injury.
Any muscle loss, especially from the lower body, and is the largest muscle group, can lead to consistent fat gain.

Circulation Slows Down

Sitting for too long also slows down blood flow to the brain and the legs, causing them to become sluggish.

Sitting without standing can increase the risk of developing blood clots.
Blood clots can break off and cause blockages throughout the body.
One study showed a significant reduction in the vascular flow after sitting for just three hours.
But individuals who took breaks and got up to walk around for two minutes every hour showed improved circulation.

References

Beddhu, Srinivasan et al. “Light-intensity physical activities and mortality in the United States general population and CKD subpopulation.” Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology: CJASN vol. 10,7 (2015): 1145-53. doi:10.2215/CJN.08410814

Briggs AM, Smith AJ, Straker LM, Bragge P. Thoracic spine pain in the general population: Prevalence, incidence and associated factors in children, adolescents and adults. A systematic review. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2009;10:77.

Fouquet N, Bodin J, Descatha A, et al. Prevalence of thoracic spine pain in a surveillance network. Occup Med (Lond). 2015;65(2):122-5.

McManus, Ali M et al. “Impact of prolonged sitting on vascular function in young girls.” Experimental physiology vol. 100,11 (2015): 1379-87. doi:10.1113/EP085355

CBD, THC & HEMP? What is the difference? | El Paso, Tx (2021)

Dr. Alex Jimenez

On today’s podcast Spencer Salas and Dr. Alex Jimenez discuss CBD, TCH, and Hemp. Spencer answers questions in an honest and sincere manner bringing light to the complex dynamics of the raw materials and ingredients that are so very important to healing and recovery.

Mr. Spencer Salas has a passion for natural healing. He shares his personal story and his powerful “WHY”.
He brings awareness to what is sometimes a confusing subject.

Mr. Salas answers deep questions on the following questions.

Questions:

1. Difference between Marijuana, Hemp, and CBD plants?
2. What are CBD and THC? Differences.
3. What are the benefits of CBD? Is it really a “cure it all”?
4. Principal uses of CBD, Productos most sold.
5. Explain the difference between Spectrum and Isolated CBD.
6. What are the laws in Texas to regulate this? Age limit?
7. Can CBD be detected on a drug test (field/lab)?
8. Is it addictive? What are the emotional benefits?
9. What is the process of harvest, production of CDB?
10. What is the dosage and how long does it take to see the benefits? How does it affect your body (cellular health)?

Check out his products: onlinecbdstore.square.site/

For an appointment please call:
915-412-6677

Fill your evaluation form online: dralexjimenez.livingmatrix.com/self_register_patients/new

What do we offer as an integrative team and how do we make it possible.
–
If you have enjoyed this video and/or we have helped you in any way
please feel free to subscribe and share with us.

Thank You & God Bless.
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, ATN, IFMCP. CIFM, CCST

Join our webinars!
el-paso-tx-functional-medicine.eventbritestudio.com

Additional Online Links & Resources (Available 24/7)

Online Functional Medicine Assessment: bit.ly/functionmed

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Online Physical Injury / Accident Intake Form: bit.ly/Fill-Out-Your-Online-History

If you are someone who truly cares about their health we recommend you look at the care plans we offer on our site:

www.functionalmedicine.expert/

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Yelp: El Paso Rehabilitation Center: goo.gl/pwY2n2
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Clinical Testimonies: www.dralexjimenez.com/category/testimonies/

Information:
Clinical Site: www.dralexjimenez.com
Injury Site: personalinjurydoctorgroup.com
Sports Injury Site: chiropracticscientist.com
Back Injury Site: www.elpasobackclinic.com
Rehabilitation Center: www.pushasrx.com
Functional Medicine: wellnessdoctorrx.com
–

Twitter: twitter.com/dralexjimenez
Twitter: twitter.com/crossfitdoctor

Disclaimer:
The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our presentations share knowledge and information from research, experience, and the collaborative functional medicine community. The information and scope are limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. Our discussions include Integrative Doctors, Functional Medicine Experts, Nutritionists, Health Coaches, Chiropractors, Physical Medicine Doctors, Therapists, Exercise Performance Specialists, Physicians, and others. Each specialist practices within their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care plans for the musculoskeletal system’s injuries or disorders. Our discussions, videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters and issues that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our collaborative clinical scope of practice. We make a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and identify the relevant research studies supporting our presentations. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover issues that may require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matters presented, please feel free to contact Dr. Alex Jimenez.

Sciatic Nerve Branches

Dr. Alex Jimenez

The sciatic nerve is formed through a combination of motor and sensory fibers based on the spinal nerves of the lower back L4 to S3, known as the lumbosacral plexus. It is the largest and longest nerve in the human body and about as wide as an adult thumb. It begins at the base of the spine, runs along the back of each leg, and ends at the foot supplying the areas with fresh blood and nutrients. There are sciatic nerve branches that consist of primary branches and smaller branches.

Table of Contents

Sciatic Nerve Branches

The nerve splits into two main branches near the back of the knee called the popliteal fossa.
This fossa is located slightly above the joint behind the knee.
The popliteal fossa is a diamond-shaped space that acts as the conduit for the blood vessels and nerves.

Primary branches

From the popliteal fossa:

The tibial nerve continues down the back of the calf to the heel and bottom of the foot.
The common peroneal nerve, aka common fibular nerve, travels sideways along the outer part of the knee to the outer border of the lower leg and foot.
Both nerves convert into small sensory nerves in the calf that supply the outer side of each foot.
These sensory nerves are called sural nerves.

Collateral branches

The sciatic nerve breaks off into smaller branches, known as collaterals, that include:

These are muscle branches that supply the muscles in the thigh, including the hamstring group and the adductor magnus muscles along the inner thigh.
Other small branches supply the leg and foot muscles.
Articular branches supply the back of the hip joint, the back and side of the knee joint.

The sciatic nerve does not supply structures in the buttocks; however, pain commonly radiates/spreads into this area when the nerve is impaired, impinged, and inflamed.

Blood Supply

The delivery of nutrients to the sciatic nerve is done through blood vessels that also contribute to the nerve’s function. Any interruption of blood flow to the sciatic nerve can cause pain and dysfunction. The sciatic nerve and the sciatic nerve branches receive their blood supply from two sources that include:

The extrinsic system is made up of nearby arteries and veins.
The intrinsic system includes arteries and veins that run along the nerve and are embedded deep in a sheath known as the epineurium of connective tissue that envelops the nerve.
The intrinsic blood supply can be affected by conditions like diabetes, which can contribute to symptoms associated with diabetic neuropathy.
Both systems connect at various junction points.

Nerve Function

The combination of sensory and motor fibers that make up the sciatic nerve provides the essential functions in the lower limbs allowing the body to:

Stand
Walk
Run
Climb
Lift

A healthy sciatic nerve is well protected around the low back and buttock muscles where it starts, and it cannot be palpated or felt by touching or pressing on the area. When the nerve gets inflamed, injured, or pinched, the leg can feel stiff and inflexible when trying to move and can lead to pain, weakness, and tingling in the lower back, buttock, leg/s, and feet.

Anatomical Variations of the Nerve

Individuals can have variations in the anatomical structure of the sciatic nerve. These variations are considered normal, but they can increase the risk of developing sciatica brought on by impingement, entrapment, or irritation of the nerve root/s. Variations in sciatic nerve branches include:

The nerve divides above the piriformis muscle; one portion passes through the piriformis, with the other portion exiting the pelvis below the muscle. This is the most common variation.
The nerve divides above the piriformis muscle; one portion passes through the piriformis, with the other portion exiting the pelvis above the muscle.
The nerve divides above the piriformis, with one portion traveling in front while the other travels behind it.
Undivided sciatic nerve exits through the piriformis muscle.
Undivided sciatic nerve exits from behind the top part of the piriformis.
Around 10% of individuals have a nerve that divides above the popliteal fossa and does not merge but courses down in two separate branches.

The sciatic nerve and the sciatic nerve branches are significant components of the body. It supplies motor functions to move the legs and feet and provides sensory functions along the nerve path. Keeping the sciatic nerve healthy is key in helping to prevent back and spinal issues. Chiropractic can help realign the sciatic nerve and educate on maintaining the nerve’s health.

Body Composition

Fitness Motivation

New workout routine

Individuals that don’t feel like returning to previous workout routines are recommended to try out other fitness options. If the gym isn’t cutting it or there is burnout with the current routine, switch things up. This can include:

Virtual group classes.
1-on-1 personal training.
Outdoor activities.
All are valid options to explore if in a rut with the current routine.
The important thing is to find what works for you.

Allow the body to rest

Individuals may want to push it to the limit to get back into shape, but rest days are essential for healthy muscle development and improved performance.

Noticing the body is more sore and exhausted after a workout is an indication that the body needs rest. This also includes:
Maintaining proper hydration.
Stretching out the muscles regularly.
Taking days off from exercising are necessary to:
Prevent muscle fatigue.
Reduce the risk of injury.
Allow for adequate muscle recovery.

Long term commitment is key

It can be discouraging to commit to a workout schedule only to notice minor changes to strength and fitness.

However, small improvements do accumulate over time.
Small increases over time can have a huge impact on overall strength and fitness.
Keep the bigger picture in mind to remain positive.

References

Davis D, Vasudevan A. Sciatica. [Updated 2019 Feb 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-. Available from: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507908/

Barral J, Croibier A. Manual Therapy for the Peripheral Nerves. Elsevier Health Sciences; 2007.

Ryan MM, Jones HR Jr. Mononeuropathies. In: Neuromuscular Disorders of Infancy, Childhood, and Adolescence. Elsevier; 2015:243-273. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-417044-5.00014-7

Cold Weather Muscle Spasms, Cramps

Dr. Alex Jimenez

Osteopathic assistant cracking back and shoulder bones for senior woman at chiropractic consultation. Chiropractor giving assistance to elder patient for recovery and rehabilitation

Muscle spasms also referred to as muscle cramps, are painful contractions and tightening of the muscles. They are common, involuntary, and unpredictable. Temperature drops and cold weather can cause the muscles and joints to contract and tighten, leading to spasms and pain. Chiropractic, physical therapy massage, exercises, stretching, and an anti-inflammatory diet can bring relief and help strengthen the muscles to prevent future episodes.

Table of Contents

Muscle Spasms

Spasms are common and can affect any of the muscles. They can involve part of a muscle, all of a muscle, or several muscles in a group. Spasms occur when the muscle/s involuntary and forcibly contract uncontrollably and are unable to relax. The most common sites for muscle spasms include:

Hands
Arms
Abdomen
Back
Legs
Thighs
Calves
Thighs
Feet

How Cold Affects the Muscles

As the weather gets colder, this causes the muscles in the body to lose heat, causing them to contract. As a result, the muscles and joints become tighter, stiffer, and decrease mobility and range of motion. This forces the muscles to work harder than usual to compensate. This can increase the fatigue of the muscles, leading to more prolonged bouts of pain and discomfort after physical activity, movement, exercise, etc.

Symptoms and Causes

A cramp can last a few seconds or last up to 15 minutes. During a muscle spasm, the following may be experienced:

Twitching in the muscle.
Pain in the muscle.
Throbbing.
Hardness and/or stiffness.
The muscles appear physically distorted.

Because the muscles have to work harder, the cold weather can increase muscle spasms. One of the most common causes of muscle spasms is overuse and fatigue. However, exact causes vary from person to person. Some experts believe that one or more of the following contribute to the spasms/cramps, and they include:

Dehydration.
Stress.
Not stretching the body regularly.
Muscle fatigue.
Restricted blood circulation.
Involuntary nerve discharge/s.
Over-exercising.
Exercising in the heat.
Exhaustion of salts and minerals:
Potassium
Magnesium
Calcium

Possible causes for leg cramps at night or nocturnal leg cramps specifically include:

Sitting for too long without moving around to keep circulation healthy.
Sitting with unhealthy posture.
Overusing the muscles.
Standing or working on hard floors.

Dealing With The Cold

One way to deal with the cold is to warm up before any physical activity. Taking a few minutes to get the heart rate up can increase the blood flow and flexibility of the muscles. This will ensure the muscles are functioning correctly and avoid the need to work harder to stop spasms. When a cramp strikes, there are a few steps to try to alleviate the spasm:

Stretching the affected area.
Massaging the affected area manually with a massage roller, percussive massager.
Stand up.
Move around.
Apply heat or ice.
A warm bath, shower with massage setting if possible.
Ibuprofen and acetaminophen.
Vitamin B12 complex can help prevent cramps.

Body Composition

Getting Back To Fitness

Get back into regular exercising with a few tips for making the transition as smooth as possible.

Start Slow

Don’t try to jump back into exercise in attempting to crush out a challenging workout.
Commit to a few light workouts a week that integrate stretching pre and post-exercise.
Over-exerting the body increases the risk of injuries, motivation loss, and prolonged exhaustion.

Create a Workout Schedule That Works For You

Routines and habits can help stay on track.
Build a sustainable exercise routine to stay focused and committed.
Find times that work.

References

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Muscle Cramp. (orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00200) Accessed 3/1/2021.

American Association of Osteopathy. Muscle Cramp—A Common Pain. (www.osteopathic.org/osteopathic-health/about-your-health/health-conditions-library/general-health/Pages/muscle-cramp.aspx) Accessed 3/1/2021.

Herzberg J. Stevermer J. Treatments for Nocturnal Leg Cramps. (www.aafp.org/afp/2017/1001/od3.pdf) Am Fam Physician 2017;96(7):468-469. Accessed 3/1/2021.

Young G. Leg Cramps. (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4429847/) BMJ Clin Evid 2015; May 13;1113. Accessed 3/1/2021.

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