Washington Park Chiropractic

We all know that exercise is good for our bodies; we can promote good health and stay fit if we exercise regularly. What you may not know, is that the same is true for the brain.Just like any other muscle, the brain can get in shape, be strengthened and developed with use or exercise.

What About the Brain?

The human brain is made up of nerve cells called neurons and these are connected by synapses which transport information from one neuron to the other. Just like other muscles and organs, the brain does change with age; synapses fire more slowly, some cells die off and the overall mass of the organ shrinks. However, advances in brain imaging and neuroscience coupled with studies of twins have shown that not all change is genetically predetermined or inevitable.

This new understanding of the brain and its response to exercise has created an entire new industry based on a word coined by Drs. Katz and Rubin in 1999 called “neurobics”. This is a term for mental exercises which are used to increase the range of mental motion by activating different parts of the brain. But, while “neurobics” are a specific set of exercises, studies have shown that any exercising of the brain may, not only stave off brain degeneration, but in many cases reverse memory loss and improve mental agility.

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By: Dr. Jake Simpson, DC

“My head feels like it’s in a vice”, “My headache wraps around from the back of my head, above my ears and around the back of my eyes”,  “My eyes hurt, I see funny twinkling lights, and I can’t be around loud sounds.”  These are just a few of the many descriptions Dr. Lisa, and I hear on a daily basis from patients describing their headache.  Headaches are one of the most common conditions or complaints that enter the doctor’s office.  There are many types of headaches, all with their own individual characteristics.  Generally, headaches can be classified as primary headaches or secondary headaches.  Some of the primary headaches include:  Tension, Cluster or Migraine headaches.  The secondary headaches are the cause of some other condition including: car-accidents, due to an infection, sinus troubles, jaw or dental conditions, a vascular injury, medication side effect and psychiatric disorder, etc.  Today there have been great strides made in understanding headaches, their causes and their various treatments.  

As you probably know, the standard medical treatment revolves around the use of pharmaceuticals and/or injections.  Of course in the case of some of the secondary headaches due to an infection, medications or surgery are going to be necessary to combat the infection or deal with a surgical emergency.  However, with many of the primary headaches, medications may work for many sufferers in the short-term, but many headaches sufferers complain about their headaches recurring chronically.  If you find yourself frequently utilizing over-the-counter medications such as anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen: Advil, Nuprin; Naprosyn such as Aleve) or Tylenol, I suggest continue reading…

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By: Jocelyn Leidenfrost

I have been lucky enough to have seen six Red Rocks shows of my favorite bands this summer and plan on saving up to see a couple more!  Red Rocks season has always put a hop in my step. 

What could be better than listening to your favorite music AND being outdoors at the same time (other than winning a free trip to Alaska or paradise)?  Red Rocks is amazing and beautiful but there are many outdoor venues to check out this summer such as City Park Jazz on Sundays, and the Denver Botanic Gardens concert series.  It may be nearing the end of the summer but it is never too late to enjoy some outdoor music with your friends and family. 

Need more convincing? Listening to music is actually healthy for you!  Music can change your mood, relieve stress, calm you down, or help get over a recent break up/fight. 

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By Dr. Lisa Goodman, DC, CCSP

This is a tough question to answer.  If you ask 10 different chiropractors you will likely get 10 different answers.  There is a lot of research regarding chiropractic treatment plans and how they relate to car accidents, but there is not a lot out there on how often, how much and for how long a typical patient should be seen.  But that’s ok.  Each patient comes to a chiropractic office as a unique case and therefore deserves a unique treatment plan.  There really should not be a one-size-fits-all approach to chiropractic.  Here is my take on how to decide what you need and what is right for you:

1. How Often Should I be Treated?

This question should be answered based on a thorough history and physical exam.  Your treatment frequency will also depend on how long your have been injured and what caused your injury.  Many chiropractors have received a bad rap for prescribing too much treatment.  So what is too much?  Here is a great rule of thumb – When a patient begins receiving treatment I generally treat them every 2-4 days until their symptoms begin to improve.  This may last for 1-4 weeks.  At the first sign of significant improvement most treatments are reduced to 1x per week.  Again, once each patient can go a full week without symptoms recurring their treatment frequency is reduced again to 1x every 10-14 days.  This continues until the patient is pain-free for at least a month!  At that point we consider them to be a wellness or preventative care patient and recommend that they continue care every 4-6 weeks.  Of course every course of treatment is discussed with each patient and we always take into account scheduling, financial need and any other care the patient is receiving. 

In a nutshell, most physical medicine prescriptions – such a physical therapy or chiropractic – tend to be somewhere around 12-20 treatments for an acute injury.  But most patients will see significant relive in just 1-4 treatments and most injuries are not serious enough to require 20 treatments.

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By: Dr. Jake Simpson

‘Tis the season to be golfing.  The weather is warm, the golf courses are green, and the golfers (much like myself and Dr. Goodman) are striving to shoot a personal best.  You can find golfers out on the tee box from sun up to sun down…. This all sounds great, just thinking about being on the course gives me goose bumps, but there is always a catch.  None of us can golf, or golf at our optimal abilities if we are injured from the very game we love.  According to some estimates, there are approximately 27 million golf injuries every year!!!  Golf is generally not thought to be highly physical or a sport that will cause injuries because of the lack of violent impact.  So what causes so many golf injuries?  I wish I could tell you there is one reason you get injured but I can’t.  All injuries are multi-factorial, meaning there are generally several underlying causes for your injury.  Some of these include

• no warm-up, no cool down
• poor flexibility
• postural dysfunction or instability
• improper swing mechanics

  Let’s help you prevent future injuries and keep you playing golf pain and injury free:

Warm-Up and Cool Down:

Along with proper posture and swing mechanics, simple warm-up and cool down exercises can go a long way in the prevention of golf injuries.  Warming up must be an essential part of your golf routine.  Warming up brings blood flow to your muscles, and lengthens the muscles to help prevent them from strain.  Much like cooking pasta, you begin with stiff and breakable noodles out of the box and boil them in water ending with a soft and flexible noodle. 

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By Jocelyn Leidenfrost

It is incredibly important to take care of your back.  This may be an obvious statement to anyone reading this blog on the Washington Park Chiropractic website, however, many people take their healthy spines for granted and as a result may suffer injuries later in life.  As for me, I have been taking extremely good care of my back since I was diagnosed with scoliosis in the 6^th grade.  For about four years I wore a back brace almost all day and night to prevent further curvature.  I would take my brace off for several hours a day while I was at my dance studio, in gym class, or running around at soccer games or practices.  After I would outgrow a back-brace I would get ‘molded’ for a new one; I was told this was similar to getting a cast even though I have never broken a bone on my body other than a finger (knock on wood)!   I would also do exercises every night or day to strengthen my back and take hot baths before bed to relax my muscles.  My mother was always by my side and I still fondly remember our visits to my orthopedic doctor who always told me that I could still do anything in the world that I wanted to, as long as it was legal.

Screenings at Washington Park Chiropractic

For anyone reading this with children, I think it is absolutely crucial to have your kids get yearly scoliosis screenings. In my case, my middle school offered free screenings but it wasn’t until my pediatrician did a scoliosis check that I found out.   Dr. Goodman has found scoliosis in several children over the last few years (when their pediatrician missed it!)  Regular check-ups with our doctors will ensure that your child’s spine is cared for early on.  About 7 million people in the United States are affected by scoliosis and surgery can possibly be avoided if caught soon enough. 

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Tis’ the season to be feasting on fresh tasty strawberries! Strawberries have great taste and make an excellent addition to ice creams, yogurts, milkshakes and desserts. Strawberries have lots of health benefits and here are just a few!

Rich in Nutrition: Strawberries are rich in a wide range of vitamins namely Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin and Folic acid. It also contains Magnesium, Copper, Manganese, Omega-3 fatty acids and more. Vitamin C found in strawberries is more abundant than other fruits. Daily intake of strawberries supplies more than the sufficient amount of vitamins needed for the body.

For a Healthy Heart: Important heart-healthy nutrients such as Vitamin C, Potassium, and fibers are present in strawberry.  Strawberries have various phytonutrients such as phenol and anthocyanin and these phytonutrients fight against heart diseases. The phenol content present in strawberry makes it a heart protective fruit.

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By Dr. Jake Simpson

The Healing Power of Low Level Laser Therapy

Washington Park Chiropractic is excited to add yet another high quality treatment technique to complement our top notch care.  Theorized by Albert Einstein in 1917 and invented in 1960, lasers have proven their worth from compact disc players, to measuring the distance from the Earth to the Moon and now… healing the human body.  More and more doctors and researchers around the world have realized that therapeutic doses of laser light can have profound results in the treatment of a wide range conditions from slow healing skin ulcers to arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions.  Dr. Jake Simpson utilizes the impressive Microlight ML830 laser which was the first low-level laser to be FDA approved after researchers conducted a double blind study at General Motors and Baylor college of Medicine in the treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. 

What is Laser Therapy?

LLLT (Low level laser therapy) is a painless, sterile, non-invasive, drug-free treatment which is used for a variety of pain syndromes, injuries, wounds, fractures, neurological conditions and pathologies.  LLLT is the application of low levels of laser light to an area of the body that has been injured.  This is not the same as high powered lasers utilized in other medical procedures that cut tissue, remove hair. 

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