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Alternative Health News
Chiropractic Care for Veterans: Serving Those Who Served (Pt. 2)
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10 Life Lessons That Will Change the Way You Practice
"What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?" I have posed this question for years to groups I've spoken to across the country and around the world.
We Get Letters & E-Mail
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Treating Rib Joints to Protect Thoracic Stability
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Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve Entrapments
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Study: Acupuncture for Acute Low Back Pain More Effective Than Drugs
New research by Korean doctors of Oriental Medicine suggested that an acupuncture method could reduce acute lower back pain faster and more effectively than conventional drug injections.
Extraordinary Vessels and Emotional Healing
In addition to the 12 primary Organ-related meridians in the body, there are other energy circulation channels that have been mapped out by Traditional Chinese Medicine. Probably the most significant of these are called the Eight Extraordinary (or Extra) Vessels.
Pre-Conception Wellness: What Do Your Patients Need to Know?
Deciding to have a baby is one of the most important decisions a woman will ever make. But how many women are really prepared for a healthy pregnancy?
Weaving Eastern & Western Medicine Together: Q&A with Beijing's Dr. Kezhen Zhang
Dr. Kezhen Zhang M.D., is currently the founder and president of Beijing Taijitang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.
A Medication Primer for Alternative Health Care Practitioners (Part 2)
Morphine is arguably the greatest drug of all time, at least in the sense that it is so powerful in relieving pain.
It's About the Word
The new patient was already a fan of chiropractic. "I liked the guy a lot," he said of the previous DC he had consulted. "But he is on the other side of town, and I just can't get there after work. So he sent me to you, since you're his buddy."
Dry Needling is Acupuncture: But What of Education? What of Public Safety?
One of my patients told me recently, that their physical therapist used a "dry needle" and that it wasn't acupuncture. Apparently, physical therapists (PT) are taught to tell their patients that "only acupuncturists practice acupuncture."
Protein and Weight Loss
Recently I was asked by the staff at Dynamic Chiropractic to referee some of their water-cooler discussions regarding nutrition. Topping their list was this one about protein and weight loss: "Why is protein important for weight loss and how much should I eat?"

Maintaining Professional Boundaries in a Facebook World: Social Media Guidelines for DCs
A few months ago, I received an unexpected message on my Facebook account: "Hi Doc, do you remember me? I'm so happy to find you here on Facebook. It's been years since I have seen you and I'm glad to reconnect with you.
Keeping Up With Western Medicine Advancements: The Amazing World of Imaging Studies
When patients with neuromuscular problems come to you for treatment there is usually a lot you can do for them to improve their mobility or reduce their pain, whether it is a middle age woman with a frozen shoulder.
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If you visit the website of the JAMA and search on the word chiropractic, more than 200 results appear. If you sort that list chronologically and look at the oldest entry, you will find "Medical News" that includes the following.
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Becoming a Concussion Expert in Your Community: What You Need to Know (Part 2)
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Three Essential Herbal Products For Your First-Aid Kit

There are three Chinese patent medicines that belong in everyone's first aid kit. All three are for topical application, and all three provide extraordinary benefits unavailable from any domestic over-the-counter.


News in Brief
In Remembrance: A Moment of Silence for Robin McKenzie (1931-2013); DC Re-Elected to Co-Chair AMA Code Review Board; WFC Celebrates 25 Years.
Weight Training: Are Cheat Reps Worth It?
While resting between exercises at the gym recently, a young lifter asked me for a spot on a set of barbell bench presses. The bar was loaded with a moderately heavy amount of weight that at first glance appeared to be too heavy for his frame.

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Massage Today
March, 2002, Vol. 02, Issue 03

Heel Pain

By Ben Benjamin, PhD

Question: Pain felt at the anterior portion of the underside of the heel of the foot, especially when a person gets out of bed to walk in the morning, is indicative of what injury?

Answer: Plantar Fasciitis.

Plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis. When the plantar fascia (A) is injured, you may feel pain at point B, and/or under the arch of the foot. Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of pain at the anterior heel when walking.

There are two closely related structures between the heel and forefoot: the plantar ligament and the plantar fascia (which is superficial to the plantar ligament). Injury to either of these structures is referred to as plantar fasciitis.

Someone suffering from plantar fasciitis feels pain on walking after a night's sleep, or even after being still for several hours. This pain is caused by the tearing of brand-new scar tissue that has just formed in the plantar ligament, plantar fascia, or both. Adhesive scar tissue forms 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and this newly formed scar tissue is weak and paper-thin. In the case of plantar fasciitis, this weak scar tissue is almost immediately torn again through use, and therefore the person suffers daily heel pain.

For any treatment to be effective, standing pressure cannot be applied directly on the fascia for several months. This can easily be accomplished by wearing a shoe with a higher heel -- usually one and a half to two inches. For about three months, the person should never go barefoot. Shoes must be worn at all times, even when getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. This can be an effective treatment by itself if the person is diligent in wearing heeled shoes. More efficient healing will take place if massage or friction therapy is applied to the anterior heel two or thee times a week. If those methods fail, proliferant injection therapy is often an effective and quicker treatment option.

Click here for more information about Ben Benjamin, PhD.

 

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