lance casazza

Mar 20 2014

Dare to Compare

Dare to CompareChiropractic has always seen things differently than the medical profession. I will never try to convince or argue with anyone that chiropractic is better, never. Rather I will simply explain the chiropractic viewpoint vs the medical viewpoint and let you decide. In any situation it is a mistake to pass judgment on a situation without all the information. All too often people will have a general opinion on something without basing it on anything. I think that happens with chiropractic. The survey to the left of 1009 US adults in 2006 by Gallup supports this idea.

Why are we rated so low? There may be several reasons, but in my mind it is likely due to the unknown. Chiropractors are interested in keeping their patients healthy and preventing illness. This is typically not what medical doctors focus on. They will manage illness and disease. Since it is uncommon to find a doctor of any discipline promoting wellness, the public finds this as odd or suspicious.

Thus the lack of trust. Remember it is far easier to STAY healthy than to battle disease. Below I have included a table which shows the major differences between medical doctors and chiropractors. Something to think about and consider. If you have more questions about this topic and how chiropractic care can help keep you healthy, talk to Dr. Lance Casazza.

Health Topic Chiropractic Western Medicine
Base Strategy Proactive: stay healthy. Reactive: symptom, pain based.
Care Strategy Whole body approach. Focal illness approach.
Philosophy Body is self-healing with innate intelligence. Body is machine, needs help to be fixed.
Flu Vaccine No. Build natural healthy immunity to fight flu bug. Yes. Use vaccine to build anti-bodies to fight flu bug.
Pharmaceuticals No. Find natural ways to get healthy and stay healthy. Against toxins in the body. Yes. Use chemistry to aid body function. Systems are weakened need assistance.
Drug Side Effects Concerned, find alternative. Minimizes. Feel reward over rides risk of side effects.
Surgery No. Explore chiropractic option first. Yes. Often seen as best option.

 

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Jan 29 2014

Don’t Forget!

Cover of "Patch Adams - Collector's Editi...

Seems like at the beginning of every year we put together some New Year’s resolutions and by the end of January we have dropped the ball. How come? Well it’s real easy to fall back into our old ways and bad habits.

The other day I was given an incredible example of that. A chiropractic friend and I were talking, and he said, “one of the biggest problems people have is they always forget”. I said, “what are you talking about?” He said, “we always forget about how lucky we are. We always forget about those intense emotional feelings we have after catastrophic events (hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, school shootings, Boston Marathon tragedy, 9-11). We have this incredible sense of community and love, and then in a few days, weeks or months, we forget. Even after a simple cold we forget how great it is to be healthy and not be all stuffed up.”

So the last blog we were talking about negative talk and trying to stay positive. This blog is more about how to never forget those events, staying positive and being grateful. He was right, we DO forget, so how do we NOT forget?

This is super tough as life seems to always get in the way. Bills show up, the kids get sick, car breaks down, you know the usual stuff. So how do we cope with the ins and outs of everyday life and still have that great outlook?

Certainly we need to focus on this more often than when there is a big disaster, or at Thanksgiving when a lot of people make lists for everything they are thankful for. How about every day? I know, sounds like some effort, and it is, but the reward is amazing!

 

Try This. Go online and google some of your favorite famous people and read through their inspirational quotes. One of mine is Tony Robbins, talk about positive and insightful, here are a few of my favorites:

  • “To really change behavior it takes unbelievable dedication and hard work, harder than you think.”
  • “The path to success is to take massive, determined action.”
  • “The secret to life is…..to raise your standards.”
  • “If I’m committed, there is always a way.”
  • “Demand more from yourself than anyone else could ever expect.”

For health I love Hippocrates, attitude and happiness Patch Adams, love “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrnes for understanding life. Now choose some of your favorites.

Try This. The Slide Show. Put together a power point presentation.

It should include three things:

  1. Pictures of all the things you are grateful for; partner, kids, pets, house, anything that is important to you.
  2. Pictures of all the things that many people live in; third world country living conditions, handicapped folks.
  3. Your favorite songs that give you that special feeling, for me, Imagine by John Lennon.

This slide show should be super special and move you to tears!

Now watch it daily so you DO NOT forget how lucky we are!

If you have more questions about staying positive or inspired or chiropractic just ask: Dr. Lance Casazza.

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Mar 25 2013

The Importance of Good Posture

English: Bad posture

We always hear about the importance of posture. Your mom or a teacher constantly reminded you when you were young to “sit-up straight”! So let’s take a closer look and see if they were onto something.

First a study and the importance of posture?

Posture affects and moderates: spinal pain, headache, mood, blood pressure, pulse, respiration, sympathetic function, homeostasis, autonomic regulation, breathing and hormone production. Sound pretty important!

American Journal of Pain Management, 1994

Dramatic respiratory changes.

Did you know that after age 20 that your vital capacity, (maximum volume of air that a person can exhale after maximum inhalation), decreases 5-20% per decade! Mostly due to postural changes! Brian K Ross MD, University of Washington

A quote from someone in the know:

“Better than 90% of the energy output of the brain is used in relating to the physical body in its gravitational field. The more mechanically distorted a person is (bad posture), the less energy available for thinking, metabolism and healing.” – Dr. Roger Sperry, Nobel Laureate

Sit-up Straight! Loss of proper joint structure and function (due to poor posture) increases adhesion formation in the soft tissue in and around the spine. Grieve, Common Vertebral Joint Problems, 1988

Now go take a look. Next time you are out, start observing people over 50. First ask yourself; do they have good or bad posture. Then ask yourself if they look healthy or not. You will discover that almost always people with good posture look younger and healthier than those with bad posture. Very interesting indeed.

How about a couple of demonstrations? Try this.

First sit-up straight and take a big breath in and out. Notice how full a breath you can take.  Now hunch over and breathe again. The difference is obvious. With chiropractic adjustments and proper stretching you can maintain or improve your ability to breathe.

Here is another demonstration. Try this.

Stand up straight with good posture, (head directly over shoulders, no tilted head) and put your arm out at 90° to your side. Have someone behind you push down on your arm as you resist their effort. Your shoulder should hold strong. Now slump over (anterior head translation and flexion) with bad posture and have your partner push down again, your shoulder should be weak and you should have some difficulty holding it up. That does seem odd, it is as if your muscle was shut off. Try this on your family and friends.

Explanation. With good posture your brain can communicate through your spinal cord to all your muscles and vital organs. In turn your muscles and vital organs can communicate back to your brain. This is your autonomic nervous system at work. There is a constant two-way flow of information that helps run all your systems and keeps you alive. With poor posture you can see that information is slowed and the systems do not work at 100%. With proper posture you can maintain proper nervous system function.

Big benefit! Maintaining your autonomic nervous system function is one of many benefits of chiropractic care that has nothing to do with pain. All too often the public thinks that chiropractic care is only useful for low back pain. Not so, in future blogs we will continue to discuss other benefits of care that are not pain related.

Chiropractic adjustments: Routine care is the best way to maintain proper posture. If you have more questions about the importance of posture and how chiropractic care can help, talk to Dr. Lance Casazza.

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Mar 6 2013

What Is the “Popping” Sound from a Chiropractic Adjustment?

English: Technic and Practice of Chiropractic ...
English: Technic and Practice of Chiropractic published in 1920 by Joy Loban, D.C. Chiropractic spinal adjustment of the back. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What is that “popping” sound? Many people are unfamiliar with the mechanism of the popping sound that occurs during a chiropractic adjustment. Some people are actually scared or nervous thinking that it is causing harm or that it well hurt or it is just “gross”. I have actually had people ask if the bone was breaking. The answer of course is a resounding no! Otherwise I wouldn’t have any patients.

Here is the mechanism: synovial fluid in your joints contains oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide gases, approximately 80% is carbon dioxide. When a chiropractor adjusts, the joint capsule is rapidly stretched, which in turn increases the volume of the joint by 15-20%. This creates a sudden and rapid partial vacuum which causes the internal joint pressure to decrease. With this decreased pressure the gases rapidly release from the synovial fluid. As they reverberate through the fluid it causes the “popping sound”.

For you physic buffs this is Robert Boyle’s Law from 1662.

This is the exact same phenomenon that occurs when you open up a bottle of soda or champagne, except with the joint it is a closed system (gases do not escape into the atmosphere) and with the soda or champagne it is considered an open system as the gases do go into the atmosphere.

Once a joint “pops” it takes the gases about 20 minutes to return into the synovial fluid.

Try this: Crack a knuckle in one of your finger joints. Now immediately try it again at the same angle. It doesn’t pop. Wait 10-20 minutes and try again, this time it will pop.

What if the joint doesn’t “pop”?

Some patients think this means that the joint didn’t need to be adjusted, or that the joint didn’t move at all.

Imagine this:

A joint normally moves an inch when perfectly healthy.

Due to muscle tightness, adhesions and inflammation the joint only opens 1/4 of an inch.

To have the joint “pop” it must open 3/4 of an inch.

The chiropractor adjusts and opens the joint 1/2 an inch. No “pop”. But the joint still moved.

The result:

There is still benefit as the muscles will relax, adhesions will be broken and inflammatory chemicals will move out of the surrounding tissues, just not as efficiently as if the joint had been opened more. The more a joint is adjusted the more likely it will “pop” and thus increase the benefits of joint motion.

By the way:

Currently there are no studies that suggest “cracking” your knuckles or joint “popping” will cause arthritis.

Ask Dr. Lance Casazza about all the benefits of the proper joint motion and chiropractic care.

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Jan 3 2013

New Year’s Resolution?

First off, Happy New Year!!! Hoping your 2013 is healthy and happy.

Now how about those New Year’s resolutions?

I know, I know we all have the same one every year: lose weight. And every year it seems as if we drop the ball. This year let’s try a different approach and see if we can lose some of those unwanted pounds.

You’re not alone!

Shocking: only 1% keep their New Year’s Resolutions for the entire year and 93% blow it by January 12th!

Dieting does not work!

Fad diets typically are impossible, so we quickly return to our usual bad eating habits and add back those lost pounds. So this year let’s try making a few subtle changes instead of extreme ones.

  1. Eat less. That’s it just eat less, no changes in dietary choices just less. Since 1970 American’s caloric intake has increased 23%, from 2168 calories/day in 1970, to 2673 calories/day in 2008.  CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2010 Example: instead of eating 4 pieces of pizza eat 3, that equates to 25% less calories!
  2. Eat breakfast. People who eat breakfast every morning are half as likely to be overweight or show signs of diabetes. Children’s Hospital, Boston, 2003.  Skipping breakfast can decrease your metabolic rate by 5%, adding up to 10 lbs to your body in a year.  Medical College of Cornell University, 2005.
  3. Eat more often. Usually we skip breakfast, eat a super fast lunch and a huge dinner right before bed. All will add to your weight. The ideal diet is 4-6 small meals. Not eating for long periods can actually lower your metabolic rate 10-20% preventing the use of 250-300 calories a day! Dr. Sears, The Zone
  4. Less soda. One soda a day can add 15 lbs to your weight in a year. CDC, 2006
  5. Of course eat better foods as well: lean protein, fruits and vegetables.

 Exercise, you thought I forgot!

  1.  This year think baby steps. So many people dive into an extreme exercise program that they just will not continue for a long period of time. It is too demanding so we stop all together. As with diet we have to make changes we can stick with. Start slow!
  2. Time. We are all so busy that we always feel there is no time, so exercise is left out. Did you know that there are 1440 minutes in a day? That’s right and a beginning exercise program should be maybe 10-20 minutes per day, 3-4 times per week. So what will you do with the other 1420 minutes a day?
  3. Strengthen your muscles. Most people when they try to lose weight only diet. If they exercise they often focus on aerobic exercise and do not strengthen muscles. Big mistake! Strengthening your muscles requires fuel to help the muscle build. This process of muscle building will actually help you burn fat, even while you sleep. Just a few minutes a day, push-ups, sit-ups etc will do the job.
  4. Check out the top 100 reasons to exercise from the Surgeon General.

If you have more questions about diet and exercise, and the benefit of chiropractic adjustments, talk to Dr. Lance Casazza. From all of us have a very Happy New Year!

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Nov 19 2012

Oxygen, Beautiful Oxygen

Everyone is looking for the latest newest thing to optimize their health. I would like to reintroduce you to the simplest of all things oxygen.

How important is it? Oxygen helps:

  • Creates energy (defeats fatigue)
  • Aids in digestion
  • Cleans & detoxifies the system
  • Metabolizes fats & carbohydrates
  • Transports gases across cell membranes
  • Makes hormones & proteins
  • Regulates pH
  • Maintains a strong immune system

Here are a few quotes from experts:

“Cancer has one prime cause. The replacement of normal oxygen respiration of the body’s cells by an anaerobic (oxygen-deficient) respiration.”

–Dr. Otto Warburg ~ 1883-1970, Winner Nobel Prize 1931

“Starved of oxygen the body will become ill & if this persists it will die.” -Dr. John Muntz

“In all serious disease we find a low oxygen state. Hypoxia in the tissues is the fundamental cause for all degenerative disease.”

-Dr. Stephen Levine, Oxygen Deficiency: A Concomitant to All Degenerative Illness

Try this:

Sit-up straight and breathe. Now hunch over and breathe. The difference is obvious. Proper posture is the best way to maintain proper breathing.

Wow study:

Did you know that your ability to take a full breath after age 20 decreases 5-20% per decade.

So how does Chiropractic help?

With chiropractic adjustments the ribcage can open and close efficiently as tight intercostal muscles are relaxed. Next time you get adjusted pay close attention to how much easier you can breathe afterwards. Also if you get a chance to watch someone get adjusted, watch for the huge change in the motion of their rib cage. Also with chiropractic care you can improve your posture which in turn allows for better breathing.

Talk to Dr. Lance Casazza about all the benefits of the chiropractic adjustment, and other simple exercises to maintain and increase your breathing.

Dr. Casazza has been a practicing chiropractor in Sacramento for the past 10 years. His practice has been votes “Best Chiropractor” By the readers of News and Review for 3 straight years. His practice is also one of the top on Yelp in the Sacramento Area. His office specializes in spinal care, with an emphasis on: Neck pain, Low Back Pain, Headaches, Migraines, Personal Injury, Accidents and Sciatica. He is also the author of “Be the Hammer Not the Nail” and is a motivational speaker available for hire.

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Nov 14 2012

Direct Effects

“Side effects of pharmaceutical drugs are actually direct effects that we don’t want!”

Your back is hurting and you do not know what to do so you take a couple ibuprofen. ī′byo̅o̅′prōfin. Everyone does it so it should work or at least help a little. Right?

First off just because everyone does it, (think lemmings), does NOT mean it is the right decision.

Direct Effects:

Ibuprofen is known to have an antiplatelet effect, though it is relatively mild and somewhat short-lived. In general, ibuprofen also acts as a vasoconstrictor, having been shown to constrict coronary arteries and other blood vessels, acting as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Unwanted Direct Effects:

50% of patients with NSAID ulcers are asymptomatic! Centers for Disease Control

35% of NSAID and aspirin users will get GI ulcers! Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology

50% of patients taking NSAIDs have sustained damage to their small intestine.

Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology

So now you decide, are you willing to risk the above? I certainly am not. I would prefer to decrease and control inflammation by applying ice.

One more thing:

Taking ibuprofen after the initial inflammatory period is actually contraindicated. Once the inflammation has stopped we want to open up the blood vessels, (vasodilation), not constrict them. Soft tissue: muscles, ligaments, tendons and fascia heal from a free flow of fluids into the tissue and the congested inflammatory chemicals flowing out, ibuprofen simply slows this process down.

Chiropractic benefit:

One of the primary reasons the chiropractic adjustment is so effective is due to increased motion and increasing the critical flow of new fluid in and old fluid out.

One last thing:

Remember inflammation itself is not bad, it is excessive inflammation that can cause problems, specifically decreasing motion thus slowing the healing process. The chemicals in the inflammation are actually necessary for the healing process to occur and we are simply trying to control how much fluid enters the injured sight.

Talk to Dr. Lance Casazza about all the benefits of the chiropractic adjustment, and other simple methods of dealing with pain and inflammation.

Dr. Casazza has been a practicing chiropractor in Sacramento for the past 10 years. His practice has been votes “Best Chiropractor” By the readers of News and Review for 3 straight years. His practice is also one of the top on Yelp in the Sacramento Area. His office specializes in spinal care, with an emphasis on: Neck pain, Low Back Pain, Headaches, Migraines, Personal Injury, Accidents and Sciatica. He is also the author of “Be the Hammer Not the Nail” and is a motivational speaker available for hire.

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Aug 1 2012

Say No to Migraine Medication and Yes to Natural Care

If you’ve ever experienced a migraine headache, you know how debilitating it can be. According to the Mayo Clinic, “a migraine headache can cause intense throbbing or pulsing in one area of the head and is commonly accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound.

Migraine attacks can cause significant pain for hours to days and be so severe that all you can think about is finding a dark, quiet place to lie down.”

Nearly 30 million American suffer migraine headaches, with women more than three times as likely as men to be victims. Too often, medication is the first-line treatment strategy to control symptoms – particularly the pain – despite the fact that natural options are being shown to be just as, if not more, effective.

Case in point: a recent study that divided 91 adult migraine sufferers into three groups for comparison. One group received topiramate (brand name: Topamax), an anti-convulsant also approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment and prevention of migraines; a second group exercised 40 minutes a day, three times a week; and the third group performed relaxation exercises over the course of the study period. After three months, results showed no significant differences between the three groups: all three interventions reduced the frequency of migraine occurrence.

If you suffer from migraines, your doctor of chiropractic may recommend exercise or relaxation techniques to help treat your problem without having to resort to drugs, all of which come with a substantial list of side effects that can make you feel even worse. For example, among the potential side effects of topiramate are nausea, diarrhea and fatigue – just what you don’t need when you’re dealing with a debilitating migraine.

Of course, your chiropractor may also perform chiropractic adjustments, which have been shown to be effective for headache symptoms. One study showed spinal manipulation to be as effective as amitriptyline for migraine symptoms; another study showed a significant reduction in frequency, duration and severity of migraines, as well as need for medication, following chiropractic manipulation. And nutritional support, such as magnesium supplementation, has also proven to be effective.

If you suffer from migraines, talk to your doctor of chiropractic about the drug-free options. Say no to medication and yes to natural care.

 

Editorial Staff, MPA Media

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Casazza Chiropractic
2716 V Street, Sacramento CA 95818
Office: (916) 447-2200 – Fax (916) 447-7930
Email Dr. Casazza: [email protected]

Hours
Mon. 8-1 and 3-5;
Tues.-Thurs. 8-1  and 3-6;
Fri. 8-1 and 3-5; Sat. 8-12

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