How Salt Lake City Chiropractors are like Dentists

Humor me a little bit and come with me into a conversation that I have over and over again.  Whether it is with a patient in our office, or with someone I meet in my personal life.

Upon hearing that I am a chiropractor, there is almost invariably a statement like:

Other person:  Yeah, I saw a chiropractor a few years ago.  He helped me a lot.

Me:  Great, so do you still see him?

Other person:  No, he fixed me all up.  I haven't needed to go back.

Me:  Oh... That's awesome.  By the way, did you brush your teeth this morning?

Other person:  (After giving me a slightly dirty look)  Yeah.

Me:  Did they hurt when you woke up this morning?

Other person:  No...

Me:  Well then why did you brush them?

Other person:  (silence...)

Me:  If they didn't hurt, why did you brush them?

Other person:  (slowly and starting to understand what I am getting at...)  Well...to keep them from hurting.

Me:  Oh, so maintenance care and prevention is OK for your teeth, but not for you spine?

Other person:  (silence...)

Typically at this point, I let them off the hook and make a joke so as to lift the building tension.  As you can guess, I am a hoot at parties.

Again, I have this conversation ALL THE TIME.  Seriously...your teeth chew your food and (hopefully) look good when you smile.  That's about it.  Your spine controls EVERY SINGLE THING that happens in your body.  From cell reproduction to movement to healing processes to immune response.  It all happens through your spine.  Teeth...they chew up your meat.

So, why do you think people devote around 5 minutes a day (maybe more) to their teeth and do so very willingly...yet they put up such a fight when it comes to maintaining the health of their spine?

My best guess is that it all comes down to money.  Maintaining the health of your teeth my cost a couple of bucks a month.  Regular chiropractic maintenance care can be expensive when you're seeing the chiropractor once a week and you're paying an average of $55-$70 per adjustment.  That's why we are trying to change that.  At The Joint Salt Lake City, we have programs and plans that can provide a regular maintenance care adjustment for as low as $14.75 per adjustment.  There is no long term commitment needed and you get the care that your body needs.

Maintenance care is not a new thing for health care...Seriously, when was the last time your dentist said, "OK, you're done.  Come back the next time your teeth hurt?"  Yet, that's what is expected from a chiropractor?

Come see us and we will help you maintain the most important functions in your body

New Year's Resolutions in Utah with Your Chiropractor

Welcome to that wonderful time of year when we all start to evaluate our lives and try to determine how we can make ourselves a little bit better. The New Year’s Resolution has become a way for people to make a new start with things in their lives that they see the need to change.

Undoubtedly, the most common resolutions are always in the area of health:

• I resolve to go to the gym regularly!
• I resolve to lose that extra 20 lbs. this year! 
• I resolve to stop eating carbs!

As a chiropractic physician, I whole-heartedly support each of these resolutions. I also recognize the difficulties that come along with keeping these resolutions. Cake is good. Donuts are good. Cookies are good. Sweets may be terrible for you, but they taste great.

Let me also suggest another resolution that will help you in the area of health. Regular chiropractic adjustments are meant to help your body function as well as possible. By relieving pressure on the nervous system (from misaligned spinal vertebrae), we are helping your brain communicate with each of the cells and tissues of the body. As a result, your brain can better regulate your immune system...which will keep you healthier. Also, by keeping the joints of the body better aligned, there will be less wear and tear on the joints as you spend more hours at the gym, or on the court, or on the slopes.

Chiropractic care will not only help you with your pain, but more importantly, chiropractic care will help you stay healthier. A big part of living in Utah for many people is enjoying the outdoors all year long, and if you’re part of the majority of people that experience back pain, then chiropractic care may be able to help you like it has helped so many others.

From all of us at The Joint Sugar House, here is wishing all of you out there a Happy New Year in 2015 and a healthier life in 2015 and beyond.

~ Dr. Michael Hill

The Best Cardio Exercise

Over the past several years I’ve had several patients asked me what is the best Cardio exercise they can do if I had to pick just one?. My background as a Sport’s Chiropractor in Utah and Strength and Conditioning Specialist gives me a little different perspective than most fitness experts.

  

The Late Bruce Lee said “Running is the king of all Exercise” While I agree Running is the fastest way to get in great shape it poses many obstacles for most people over 30. First running is very hard on the feet, knees, hips and low back. When a person runs every time their foot hits the ground it’s 4-5 times their bodyweight per foot strike. This high body impact can lead to many problems such as stress fractures, shin splints, plantar fasciitis etc. Second is running technique and running surface. Most people who run have poor technique and they chose to run on the asphalt instead of grass or dirt, and this magnifies the forces of impact on their body.

  

Walking seems to be an alternative to running, but there are some major drawbacks to this slower cousin of running. The biggest challenge is achieving a person’s training heart rate. Most people cannot reach their training heart rate unless their obese or severely de-conditioned.

As a chiropractor in Utah, I’ve found the best cardio exercises are whole body, low impact, cross crawl exercises like the Elliptical machines or Cross Country skiers.  Let’s take a look at some of these incredible activities and examine why they’re so effective. Most of these exercises are very easy on the joints and will not lead to impact type injuries. Individuals who are out of shape or overweight can do these exercises and have little soft tissue soreness. The next component is whole body. The Elliptical or Cross Country skiers or Versa climbers engage the entire body and this is most beneficial for time restricted people and for greater caloric expenditure. A stationary bike is a great tool, but it is mostly lower body and you’re seated for much of the time. The last factor is these exercises are cross-crawl exercises and this has a profound effect on our Central Nervous System. Cross Crawl is a term that describes the normal human movement patterns with one leg forward and the opposite arm forward. Individuals who don’t crawl as an infant and go straight to walking often have learning problems and motor impairments.  Rowing is a whole body exercise and low impact, but it does not use a cross crawl motor pattern and therefore is not as good as the other exercises I have mentioned.

Dr. David Bailey