As a health care practitioner who focuses on the structure of the human frame and how that relates to the communication and function of the nerve system, I have noticed that balance and one's health is usually directionally proportional.  There are all types balance to consider.  When I think of balance in relation to health, the term homeostasis comes to mind. This would be our body's way of regulating our internal environment in order to maintain a constant stable condition.  I also think of proprioception - the sense that indicates whether the body is moving with required effort, as well as where the various parts of the body are located relative to one another.

There is another less defined type of balance that I unfortunately see array in the majority of my patients.  This balance I speak of is the delicate balance of life.   I notice this in myself quite often.  When I start to get fatigued, run down or begin to feel pain in any way, ultimately I can look at my life balance meter and notice I am leaning more heavily toward one side.  Am I working too hard and not getting the down time I need? Am I staying up too late and not getting the proper rest I need? Am I eating too much protein and not enough fats and carbohydrates? Am I filling my head with too much noise and chatter and not getting the proper amount of silence and retrospection? Do I spend too much time engaging in contractile activities and do nothing to stretch and elongate? Am I in a chair all day and not making time for nature? Do I interact with the same people all the time or do I meet new and interesting people to relate with and grow from?

When I am not in balance my body, mind, and soul break down.  I see people all day who have lost balance. Over time this loss of balance can manifest in a myriad of health concerns, including but not limited to postural distortion, misalignment of the spine, high blood pressure, shortness of breath and depression.  The consequences of a life out of balance can be devastating.

If you or someone you know has lost balance in his or her life, there is hope. Balance can be restored. Generally, the longer you have been out of balance the longer it will take to get your balance back. Sometimes it requires help.  Surround yourself with those living balanced lives and follow their lead.

If being out of balance has got you in pain and searching for vitality and wellness, visit us at www.marinspine.com.  We are passionate about restoring balance to our patients. We feel they will in turn help restore balance to our community locally and globally.

Dr. Seth Labott D.C.
Spinal Disc Specialist

I think most of my wellness colleagues would agree, as much as we would like it to be otherwise, most of our patients seek us out for some type of pain or health concern. The majority of people do not seek out chiropractic to enhance optimum health and wellness. Yes, some people will find their way to chiropractic for peak performance and wellness, however most are motivated by pain. 

What I try to educate my patients about is that pain is actually a healthy process.  It is the body waking us up to the fact that some sort of action needs to be taken.  Sometimes that means a change in lifestyle or to just simply slow down.  Sometimes it means there is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.  When pain is ignored or masked by drugs for too long this ultimately hampers the healing process. 

I see it every day, pain can be absolutely debilitating.  Just recently I saw a woman that presented with neck and arm pain of massive severity.  This intermittant pain started as a nagging ache for the last several years. Then it porgressed to shoulder pain.  Then it progressed to numbness.  Eventaully after 15 years of some level of discomfort she lost strenghth in her arm.  She was in tears and described how her life had been robbed from her due to the constant debilitating pain she was experiencing.  She had been to two different surgeons.  One who offered a  corticosteroid injection and the other who offered another injection and or surgery. When visiting a medical doctor usually the first line or treatment for cervical radiculopathy due to a cervical herniated disc is generally a couple days of rest and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). If the pain is severe and/or continues for more than a couple of weeks, oral steroids can be useful to decrease inflammation. Oral narcotic agents are sometimes added for severe pain.

It is my belief that masking of the pain with drugs will just prolong the inevitable.  At some point one will have to address the root cause of the problem and look to correct, strengthen and rehabilitate the spine. 

Her mother had experienced this same problem, had multiple surgeries and now is still suffering still worse pain. She was determined to find an alternative treatment method; terrified that her fate would be similar to her struggling mother.

This patient arrived to my office with MRI in hand that described multiple levels of degenerative disc disease along with cervical disc herniations.  This was causing cervical radiculopathy which caused numbness and weakness in her arm.  She was dropping things frequently and was losing hope she would ever regain strength in her arm.  Traditional Chiropractic can often help patients with this presentation however, she did not respond with a valiant attempt by another chiropractor.  We decided to treat her with our DRX 9000c Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Machine.  For many people with cervical radiculopathy Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression is a very affective treatment modality when other methods have failed.

After a couple weeks of care the numbness in her arm subsided and she began to regain her grip strength.  She then initiated a chiropractic care plan to keep her spine moving properly and to release spinal stress. Motion is life. When the body gets stuck and ceases to move properly then it starts to compress and degeneration occurs. We then educated our patient on how to make the necessary ergonomic changes in her everyday life to avoid further taxing her frame. We also taught her how to effectively stretch, elongate and strengthen her spine.  The body has an incredible ability to heal given the right environment.

If you or someone you know is suffering neck and arm pain due to a cervical herniated disc, Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression with the DRX 9000c might be the answer.  We offer complimentary consultations. Check us out at marinspine.com or call 415.398.1145 for more information.

Diary of a Chiropractor for Children and Adults

Marin Chiropractor and Spinal Disc Specialist Comments:

As a chiropractor in practice seeing patients for the last 9 years I see many people that present with Sciatica.  Many of these patients have tried various types of treatment methods to no avail.  Before we explore treatment options it is important to define Sciatica as there is much confusion as to what it exactly means.  Sciatica is a set of symptoms, not actually a diagnosis itself.  This means Sciatica does not explain the cause of the pain.  Sciatica is a general term that refers to pain caused by compression or irritation of one or more nerves exiting the lower spine that make up the sciatic nerve.  Radiculopathy is the medical term used for sciatica which means that a spinal disc or other structure has extended beyond its normal position and is irritating the nerve in the lower back, which connects with the sciatic nerve.  There are a number of different conditions that can cause sciatica pain.  Sciatica is most likely the result of pinched nerves in the lumbar spine.  If it is determined that the pinched nerve is due to a structural misalignment than conservative treatment methods like chiropractic, physical therapy or acupuncture can help.  Strengthening sciatica exercises and movement are essential to avoid the lower back muscles and spinal structures from becoming weak and less able to stabilize the spine. This weakening can lead to back injury and strain perpetuating even more back pain.  Sciatica exercises are also important for the health of the spinal discs.  Movement helps exchange nutrients and fluids within the discs to keep them healthy. 

The primary cause of a pinched nerve in the low back is a herniated disc.  When the aforementioned conservative options are not eradicating the problem then Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression with the DRX 9000 might be the answer.  From my clinical experience when nothing else has worked, spinal decompression produces amazing results.  I have treated patients that have been through every other physical modality and multiple epidural steriod injections with no substantial relief until spinal decompression.  It does not help everyone, but it has worked for many sciatic sufferers.  Axiom World Wide manufactures the DRX 9000. Doctors from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine and John Hopkins University School of Medicine make up their International Medical Advisory Board which continually researches the effectiveness of this technology.

So, depending on the cause of and severity of pinched nerves in the lower spine there are a variety of treatment options.  It is best to have an evaluation with a qualified health professional so they can recommend the best option for you.  

If you live in Marin County and would like to find out if you are a candidate for care at the Spinal Decompression Center of Marin @ Cafe of Life then fill out a Complimentary DRX Request Form or call 415.389.1145 to find out more information. 

Read some bay area Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression success stories with the DRX 9000
 

Marin Chiropractor and Herniated Disc Specialist Comments:

I just recently celebrated 10 years in practice. Looking back I noticed how chiropractic has defined the last decade of my life.  For the last 10 years I have been practicing traditional chiropractic and I can truly say that It has enriched my life beyond measure.  Helping people to remove subuxation by delivering safe, effective and conservative adjustments has proven to be a gratifying career choice and my ultimate calling in life.

What has been equally exciting is the introduction of Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression technology into the office. I am the proud owner of the DRX 9000 technology.  Now I am able to help those patients that have not responded to traditional chiropractic care.  Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression has proven to be effective for helping individuals that suffer from neurovascular compression syndromes such as disc herniations, disc bulges, spinal stenosis, and disc degeneration. 

We offer both Lumbar and Cervical treatments with our DRX 9000 programs. This technology is extremely expensive but after researching the incredible results possible, I had to offer it for my patients.  So with the best technology in hand I obtained the only Certification on Spinal Decompression Technique offered by a third party.  Most Doctors that offer spinal decompression have no formal training other than from the table manufacturer.  I actually studied the science behind this incredible technology. This extra training contributes to the extraordinary results we are achieving.  Just read what some of our patients are saying.

Now that we offer this technology, we are attracting many more people of our community that suffer from Spinal Stenosis. This is narrowing of the spinal canal due to the encroachment of disc material or bony growths that squeeze and irritate the spinal cord and/or extending nerve roots.  This can lead to pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in the legs, feet or buttocks. 

The benefits that many stenosis patients derive from Spinal Decompression is believed to be due to its positive repositioning and rejuvenating effect on the herniated and degenerative discs that accompany stenosis.  Our main objective is to create a negative pressure in the disc that generates a vacuum inside the disc. This vacuum increases the height of the disc creating more space in the spinal canal for the spinal cord and the small exit holes (foramen) that the nerves travel through when they branch off to the rest of the body.  

Yes, it works!!!!! if you are suffering with chronic back pain, sciatica, neck pain, arm pain, weakness, numbness, tingling we can help.  Visit www.marinspine.com to schedule a complimentary consultation, examination and trial session online or call (415 389-1145) and speak to one of our friendly staff. 

 I just recently saw a 40 year old woman who had been suffering chronic low back pain for several years. This pain radiated into both her legs intermittently and most recently she had been totally incapacitated by this pain.  With her symptoms progressing she received a MRI of her Lumbar Spine. The report showed multiple levels of degenerative disc disease and facet arthropathy causing central canal and bilateral foraminal stenosis throughout the entire lumbar region. Her physician dismissed these findings as normal due to aging. I have been in practice for 9 years and on my side of the view box this is not normal. It is certainly not acceptable to be 40 years of age, to live with daily pain and to restrict the activities of your daily life due to the fear of being totally incapacitated.  

 Granted our spines do have a tendency to degenerate with age. Yes, if we were to take a MRI of a cross section of our population we would see that many of our middle aged would have mild bulging discs that are asymptomatic.   The point is that I find many physicians are quick to dismiss spinal pain as normal due to aging.   Certainly it is not normal for a 40 year old woman of good general health to have extensive degeneration of her spine and bilateral pain down her legs.  I do not buy into “Normal Pain” that prevents you from living an active life because someone labled you as getting old.

Fortunately we employee the most advanced technologies of non-pharmaceutical pain management to treat spinal stenosis at our facility. We have been using the DRX 9000 Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Device with great success. Spinal Stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal due to the encroachment of disc material or bony growths that squeeze or irritate the spinal cord and/or extending nerve roots. This can lead to pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in the legs, feet or buttocks. The benefits that many stenosis patients derive from Spinal Decompression are due to its positive repositioning and rejuvenating effect on the herniated and degenerative discs that often accompany stenosis. Spinal Stenosis, which may be found in conjunction with any of the above conditions, is commonly a contributing cause for sciatic symptoms.

This patient received two trial sessions at our office and has already drastically reduced her pain. If you or someone you know is suffering in pain from spinal stenosis or sciatica visit us at www.marinspine.com or call 415.389.1145 to schedule a consultation. 

 
Probably most common question prospective patients ask me is, "How is Spinal Decompression different from traction?" Although all of the Spinal Decompression tables in the US are classified by the FDA as traction devices, it is how these tables operate that distinguishes them from traditional traction tables. 

With traditional traction tables, weights are added one by one to the end of the traction bed, which in turn, add tension to the harness secured around patient’s pelvis, lengthening the spine. The intention is to relieve pressure, but the linear force of this traction can produce spasming which may lead to greater injury.  Studies confirm that the benefits from traction come from immobilizing the spine.  Traditional traction has not been shown to be an effective treatment for chronic herniated discs; the results are not long lasting and cannot produce negative pressures in the disc. 

Like traction, Spinal Decompression also lengthens and exerts tension upon the spine. However, the approach is far different, producing vastly superior results.  Normally pulls exerted on the spine trigger sensory receptors in the back to tighten the muscles surrounding the vertebrae and discs in an effort to protect them from injury - a mechanism in the body known as proprioceptor response.  Spinal decompression bypasses this response by gently pulling on the spine and relaxing back over an extended period of time, allowing the spine to be repositioned without setting off the "lock down" proprioceptor response.

Each automated session of Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression cycles the patient through a series of gentile pulls, holds, and then releases.  As a session of spinal decompression commences, tension slowly mounts, lengthening the spine. Up to one half the patients’ body weight, plus as much as 10 pounds of tension can be exerted directly on the injured disc - all without triggering the "guarding" proprioceptor response. This is where spinal pressures drop and decompression actually occurs.  

While traction, physical therapy, and manipulation may reduce disc pressures to as low as 40mm Hg, only Spinal Decompression has been shown to achieve negative pressures as low as -160 mmHg within the injured disc during the treatment session*.