Blog - Damron Chiropractic & Wellness

Adrenal Stress Diagnostic Testing

July 28, 2015 By Damron Chiropractic

Stress is a normal part of life. It has been since the dawn of time when the stress of living simply kept you alive. Today, stress means something entirely different. It means stress beyond primitive “flight or fight” response. It means subjecting ourselves to a lifestyle that keeps us running from the moment we wake until the moment our head hits the pillow. And while at it’s most basic level stress is not harmful, continuous exposure to it is. In fact, continuous exposure over long periods of time is so detrimental that it affects our body in profound ways. This opens the door for any number of chronic conditions that can stay with us for a lifetime.

So how do we know if stress has impacted our quality of life when stress has become such a norm that we may not know any different? The answer – diagnostic testing specifically geared at evaluating the functioning of the adrenal gland. This is the gland that is responsible for the hormones that help our body fight stress.

As a part of the endocrine system, adrenal glands are located on top of each kidney. The hormones they release are essential to supporting life. The role of these hormones in the body can be divided into seven functions:

Metabolism support
Blood pressure controller
Stress response
Immune system response
Inflammation suppression
Maintenance of salt and water balance
Sex hormone regulation

Stress is a major underlying cause of many chronic illnesses and overtime it can affect the level of hormones. Our body can develop conditions as a result of over- or under active adrenal glands such as Chronic Fatigue syndrome, disease resistance, impaired metabolism, diminished energy, and diminished emotions.

Utilizing an adrenal diagnostic test can open the door for healing. Diet changes, lifestyle modifications, and nutritional supplementation help the adrenal glands return to functioning as they should. When they are able to do that, the quality of life improves. A simple test can have a huge impact and that’s priceless.

Hormonal Diagnostic Testing

July 23, 2015 By Damron Chiropractic

Hormones play a significant role in our lives especially in middle school with the onset of puberty. They influence our sleep, our mood, our sex drive, appetite, energy, and metabolism. As we age, the level of hormones in our body fluctuates. The impact of these fluctuations can range from nearly undetectable to debilitating. One of the cornerstones for healthy aging is managing this impact on our lives. For it is inevitable that we will encounter fluctuations. Hormonal diagnostic testing is one way to help manage that impact. This type of testing can shed light on the true cause of the symptoms a person is experiencing.

Hormones play a powerful role in the body’s regulatory system. They are secreted into the bloodstream by the endocrine glands, from the ovaries and testes to the pancreas and thyroid. Hormones act as the messengers for each organ and tissue in the body, directing their specific functions. Some of the functions include:

Metabolism
Growth and development
Reproductive health and sexual function
Cognitive function and mood
Body temperature and thirst

Hormones are so powerful that only the smallest amounts are necessary to do their job. The slightest fluctuation can have a tremendous impact on our health which is why they are the key to healthy aging. But aging is only one factor that can create an imbalance. Genetic disorders, diseases, exposure to environmental toxins, and even sleep disruptions can cause levels to shift. In women, these changes in hormone levels can lead to chronic conditions such as:

PMS
Infertility
Endometriosis
Osteoporosis
Breast Cancer
Polycystic Ovary Disease

However, both men and women can experience the same symptoms as a result of varying hormone levels. Some of the more common symptoms include:

Impaired memory
Poor focus
Loss of libido
Mood swings
Fatigue
Lack of sleep
Appetite level

Hormonal diagnostic testing identifies these imbalances. It eliminates guess work and the process of trial and error. By properly identifying the problem, a person’s quality of life improves faster because your healthcare provider can then direct you on the right path. Because who wants to wait to feel their best each and every day?

Nutritional Diagnostic Testing

July 21, 2015 By Damron Chiropractic

Nutrition is the fuel necessary to sustain life. However, proper nutrition is the ideal from which our bodies thrive. Unfortunately, our Western diet of fried and processed foods tends to be the nutrition many of us sustain life with. This is not the fuel our body had in mind. Fried and processed foods require our digestive system to work overtime, searching for the nutrients it needs to sustain itself. Over time, a consistent diet of this nature leaves our body nutrient deficient, opening the door to the onset of many chronic illnesses. Nutritional diagnostic testing is a tool that provides insight into the core nutrients our body is receiving, plus determine deficiencies.

Understanding the unique profile of an individual can shed light on the root cause of many chronic conditions such as:

depression
anxiety
sleep disturbances
fibromyalgia
fatigue

Diagnostic testing to assess the nutrition our body is receiving reveals more than one might think. Overall malnutrition is gauged, which according to the World Health Organization is defined as “the cellular imbalance between the supply of nutrients and energy and the body’s demand for them to ensure growth, maintenance, and specific functions.” In addition to malnutrition, nutritional diagnostic testing can also detect:

malabsorption
vitamin deficiencies
toxin exposure
need for detoxification
antioxidant reserve to combat free-radicals
energy production
abnormal metabolism

The quality of the food we eat significantly impacts our body. Many times in such subtle ways that we aren’t even aware of it. Taking the time to look beyond the symptoms can save our body from needless suffering. Our body is designed to extract the nutrients it needs from food that it recognizes. Food like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. However, modern day conveniences have made the food virtually unrecognizable to our body. There are far too many ingredients and cooking methods that have fundamentally changed the type of food that we fuel ourselves with. The implications of this trend are obvious. Obesity rates are at an all time high, diabetes is common, and healthcare costs are soaring as a result of our poor choices.

Nutritional diagnostic testing can hone in on what exactly our body is deficient in. There is no guess work. All with a simple test.

Digestive Diagnostic Testing

July 16, 2015 By Damron Chiropractic

The key to good health lies within the gastrointestinal (GI) system. It is this system that has the ability to impact not only digestion, but mood and immunity, as well. We typically underestimate the influence it can have on our daily lives. We tend to minimize our symptoms, especially if they seem minor and don’t significantly impact our lives.

Truth be told, many people have lowered their expectations on what it means to actually feel good, or they forget what “good” feels like. Our bodies can face a daily onslaught of poor nutrition, toxins, unhealthy lifestyle choices, and inadequate physical activity. It’s no wonder that after a period of years living like this that our body begins to show signs of wear and tear. Fortunately, this situation can be reversed with digestive (GI) diagnostic testing. It is one of the tools that can reveal where the deficiencies are that are causing the symptoms. By providing this insight, the proper course of action can be taken to improve not only overall digestion, but mental and emotional health, and immunity.

Our GI system contains significant amounts of bacteria. Ideally, the bacteria remains in balance, working in harmony with our body. However, the scales can tip in favor of the bacteria if we become sick or deny our body the essentials it needs to thrive. When this imbalance occurs, we open the door for disfunction in the form of an illness such as:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Autoimmune Disorders
Diabetes
Cardiovascular Disease

We also become more susceptible to developing allergies and joint disease, in addition to inflammation, poor digestion, and malabsorption. Other consequences of an imbalanced digestive tract include:

gas
bloating
abdominal pain
constipation
diarrhea
anemia
malnutrition
impaired metabolism
hormone imbalance

A simple test, taken at home, provides the data necessary for the diagnostic testing. The most common tests require between 1 and 3 days of samples. The lab that performs the analysis provides the results to your Doctor so that he or she can determine the best course of action to return balance to your gastrointestinal system.

The clues to our overall health can be found. They may not be obvious or visible, but they are there. We may need a little extra help to find them, but it is worth it if it means living a higher quality life, without pain, discomfort, or imbalances.

Diagnostic Testing

July 14, 2015 By Damron Chiropractic

Sometimes it is necessary to shed additional light on our health in order to find the solution to the problem we are experiencing. By digging a bit deeper, we can reveal the true culprit of our symptoms so the issue can be resolved once and for all. This approach also eliminates the band-aid solution because sufficient time was not given to properly assess the situation. One of the tools utilized to shed this light is diagnostic testing. This advanced form of testing looks at a variety of functions within the human body to identify abnormalities in one or more its intricate systems. Diagnostic testing requires only one of three things – saliva, urine, or blood – which can uncover a wealth of information to help bring good health back.

At Damron Chiropractic & Wellness, we offer 6 different types of diagnostic testing to help us provide the answers you are looking for:

Gastro-Intestinal (GI)/Digestive
Nutritional
Hormonal – Male and Female
Adrenal/Stress/Thyroid
Allergy
Inflammatory

Depending on the reason for the visit, performing a diagnostic test may be exactly what Dr. Damron prescribes. The initial consultation may be enough to warrant this next step, but over the course of your visits, symptoms may appear that were masked by something else. Either way, this valuable tool can provide invaluable insight into how the body is functioning, what is contributing to the imbalance, and most importantly, what can be done to correct it. The bottom-line goal is to get back to wellness by giving the body exactly what it needs to thrive.

In addition to the samples of saliva, urine, or blood a simple questionnaire is also included. Questions that help create an overview of daily functions, activities, and experiences. Many times the answer is right in front of us, but we fail to see it simply because of how obvious it really is. Diagnostic testing can also validate our intuition. It can confirm what we have suspected all along. It is amazing how a person’s life can be transformed with the truth. For it is only by knowing the truth that progress can be made.

The next 6 blog posts will look at each type of diagnostic testing to give you a better understanding of their benefits.

The Wellness Wheel

July 9, 2015 By Damron Chiropractic

What is the Wellness Wheel?

Truth be told, the essence of who we are is much like the spokes on a wheel. There are many spokes that comprise the wheel, giving it motion. Each spoke plays an instrumental role in the proper functioning of the wheel, too. Should anything happen to those spokes – such as rust, damage, or breakage – it can affect how the wheel moves, causing a bumpy ride. We are similar to that wheel, with each spoke representing a part of us. It’s known as the Wellness Wheel. The Wellness Wheel is comprised of seven key areas:

Physical
Mental
Spiritual
Social
Emotional
Intellectual
Occupational

When there is something broken in one aspect our our lives, it affects the whole of us. For example, we lose our job, it affects us emotionally, occupationally, mentally, and physically. It may also affect us in other areas as well, but the initial impact can be felt more sharply in those four. Compartmentalizing things would be ideal, but unfortunately we are not designed that way. What happens to us has the ability to affect every aspect of our lives, whether we want it to or not.

Looking at our lives like that of spokes on a wheel can help us see how connected things are, how one thing can affect another, and how balance improves the whole. In the Physical realm, staying active, maintaining an ideal weight, eating a healthy diet, and exercising has a tremendous impact on the other six areas of our life. Our mood is elevated, we feel better about ourselves, clears our mind, plus allows us to socialize with others. Choosing to omit that Physical spoke from our daily lives has a ripple effect that, in time, we will no longer be able to ignore. Sooner or later injury, a doctor’s visit, a friend’s comment, or simple frustration will cause us to make the decision to change.

Maintaining balance in our Wellness Wheel requires discipline and continuous effort. It also requires self love and the investment of time. Healthy aging doesn’t just happen for the majority of us. While there might be those out there that inherited fantastic genes, or sheer luck, the rest of us need to be aware that our choices today affect our lives tomorrow.

Take a look at how you measure up to the Wellness Wheel. Has it been a smooth ride or have there been some bumps in the road? If there are bumps, are you addressing what is causing them? A little self-inventory will go a long way in helping you live the best version of yourself.

Trigger Points (Part II)

July 7, 2015 By Damron Chiropractic

Now that you have familiarized yourself with trigger points, let’s look at how they manifest themselves in your body. In other words, what are the symptoms indicating trigger points and the associated referral pain? What can be done to help correct the situation?

First, it’s important to note that there are two types of trigger points – active and latent.

Active trigger points typically have referral pain and occur due to some injury to the muscle. This injury can be trauma related, or it can also be the result of repetitive use, poor posture, or nerve irritation. There is also both pain at rest and the area is tender to the touch.
Latent trigger points are more localized, causing a limited range of motion and weakness to the area affected. It may or may not be painful to the touch.

It is not uncommon that active trigger points become latent, or that latent become active. Many people may believe that when pain returns after long absence it’s a new injury. In reality, the problem was only laying dormant and something happened to re-aggravate the same injury.

Symptoms of a trigger point can include:

limited range of motion
pain
dizziness
weakness
loss of coordination
buckling of the knees
ringing in the ears
tingling
urinary frequency
muscle fatigue
sweating
tearing of the eyes
tension headaches

Fortunately, there are ways to correct the situation and bring the body back into balance. One is with trigger point massage therapy, which helps to address the knot of constricted muscles that are causing the pain. Another option is through chiropractic adjustments. Many times a misalignment in the skeletal system can cause undo stress on certain muscles. Only by putting things back into alignment can this be remedied. Ideally, the best course of treatment involves both massage and adjustments, plus strengthening the affected muscles. Damron Chiropractic & Wellness is unique in that it offers all three therapies under one roof. Our highly trained team of professionals work in unison to address the needs of every patient that walks through our doors. Our goal with this approach is to get you out of pain and back to wellness, so you can get back to enjoying your life once again!

Trigger Points (Part I)

July 2, 2015 By Damron Chiropractic

Did you know that there are over 400 muscles in your body? Every day they work in unison, just like the musicians in an orchestra, giving our body the gift of motion. From the simplest movement to the most complex, each muscle is connected. When something goes wrong, as with an injury or surgery, the results are instantaneous and obvious. Our body no longer exhibits fluid movement, flexibility, or the range that it did. We experience pain and discomfort. But, it does not require a significant injury or surgery for our muscles to encounter dysfunction. Everyday activities can lead to problems that manifest itself as trigger points.

Trigger points is a term that massage therapists, chiropractors, those in rehabilitation and physical therapy will use to identify areas of pain or tenderness on a patient they are working with. Underneath our skin, every muscle, organ, tendon, nerve, and blood vessel is covered by fascia. Fascia is the thin sheath of fibrous tissue that holds everything in place within us. Myofascia is the fascia that covers the muscles. Because we rely so much on our muscles every day, they are prone to overuse and stress. When this happens, the myofascia can tear and then adhere together preventing the muscles from working as they should. This, in turn, causes the “knots” you feel in areas like your neck and shoulders which massage therapists, chiropractors, and rehabilitation specialists call – trigger points.

In reality, trigger points have a domino effect on our body’s ability to function because it leads to an increase in muscle stiffness and tenderness and a decrease in range of motion. Also, there is something called referral pain. This is the result of the discomfort radiating from the adhesion or trigger point. This can happen in the area with the knot or another area of the body altogether. Interestingly, a vast majority of the time the pain felt is actually in a different location than what is triggering it. A great example of this referral pain is with sciatica (shooting pain in the buttocks and legs). The pain a person feels is not with the sciatic nerve, but rather from the gluteal area. The gluteal area is triggering the referral pain which is felt shooting down the buttocks and legs.

Stay tuned for Part II on both the symptoms and treatment for trigger points.

VIP Supplements: Multivitamins

June 30, 2015 By Damron Chiropractic

This is the last in a series of 5 on what we, at Damron Chiropractic & Wellness, consider to be the “Vital & Integral Players” – or VIPs – of the supplements necessary for healthy aging.

The word multivitamin certainly sounds credible. We’ve probably heard the word since our youth with those Flintstone vitamins our mom would give us that tasted remarkably like candy. It probably was no coincidence either that the commercials for those cute, little vitamins would happen during the actual cartoon. Clever marketing at its best! Nowadays, vitamins, or more specifically multivitamins, are found in every grocery store, pharmacy, fitness center, gym, and wellness boutique. There are literally hundreds of different multivitamins available today, too. So, how do we discern which is best, if we really need one, and what the real benefits are?

In order to survive and function optimally, our body needs a daily supply of essential vitamins and minerals. If eating a healthy diet, then a multivitamin would not be needed. However, the reality is how we actually live each day. It is a fact that most Americans are not eating a healthy diet, which leaves our bodies lacking the essential vitamins and minerals it needs to thrive. Multivitamins can help close this gap between what is and what it should be. Now that we have acknowledged this gap, which of the hundreds of multivitamins is truly best for us?

Let’s start with the facts about how our bodies are designed. Our body is uniquely created to eat and digest the food our good Earth provides us. We have complicated things by taking that food and repackaging it with over-processing. If we were to take full advantage of how our body is designed, then we should acknowledge that food in its purest form is best. Therefore, a multivitamin that is created from whole foods (foods that are natural and in their purest form) rather than processed is the ideal. This would mean organic, too – no added chemicals or pesticides.

Another way to determine which multivitamin is best for you is to look for those that are certified. In 2007, the good manufacturing practices (GMPs) were established by the FDA to ensure high quality supplements are produced and available to the public. Other independent organizations took that a step further and offer voluntary certification programs for supplement manufacturers as well. When researching the multivitamin alternatives, search for those that have subjected themselves to the highest of quality standards. Examples of what to look for include: the Natural Products Association, U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention, and NSF, in addition to the GMPs by the USFDA.

Remember, it is up to us to ensure or body receives what it needs to function at its best. It is also up to us to keep it that way so we can age healthily. We make choices every day that ultimately impact how well we stay on that path of wellness.

VIP Supplements: Probiotics

June 25, 2015 By Damron Chiropractic

This is the fourth in a series of 5 on what we, at Damron Chiropractic & Wellness, consider to be the “Vital & Integral Players” – or VIPs – of the supplements necessary for healthy aging.

It seems to be everywhere. Probiotics. Everything from t.v. advertisements, coupons, and product labeling. But why exactly is this the case? Is this just another health fad like toning shoes or olestra? You’ll be happy to know that probiotics are not a fad and are here to stay. In fact, this VIP supplement is a great way to invest in your longterm health.

Probiotics are actually living microorganisms – bacteria and yeast. Hearing the word bacteria, though, we typically jump to the negative, thinking disease and infection. However, in the world of bacteria there exists both the good and the bad. The good bacteria is what you find within your digestive system. It is also in probiotics. The ideal occurs when the good and bad bacteria are in balance, meaning everything is functioning as it should. But there are times when we have an imbalance. Symptoms appear telling us so with the onset of an illness, a syndrome like Irritable Bowel, or a skin conditions such as eczema. This is a red flag that our good bacteria needs some help from us to regain that optimal balance.

But what exactly does good bacteria do for us? Surprisingly, these good guys serve a vital role in our overall wellbeing:

promotes colon health and proper functioning
helps to keep cholesterol in check
works to ensure hormone balance
specific vitamin formation (i.e. K)
creates certain digestive enzymes

It’s important to know that there are two main types of probiotics: lactobacillus and bifidobacterium. The first is the most common and found in yogurt or other fermented foods, the second is found in some types of dairy. Both play a key role in digestive health. While we can get much of our probiotic needs met from the foods we eat (yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, dark chocolate, kimchi, tempeh, and miso soup), the reality is that our busy lifestyle may prevent us from doing so. Having a quality probiotic supplement will ensure your digestive needs are being met on a daily basis.

Remember, life happens. We eat too much of the wrong foods, we get sick, we get older, we encounter periods of stress. As one of the VIPs of the supplement world, probiotics can help you be prepared for those bumps in the road and be that preventative maintenance you need to keep your body running as it should.

Adrenal Stress Diagnostic Testing

Hormonal Diagnostic Testing

Nutritional Diagnostic Testing

Digestive Diagnostic Testing

Diagnostic Testing

The Wellness Wheel

Trigger Points (Part II)

Trigger Points (Part I)

VIP Supplements: Multivitamins

VIP Supplements: Probiotics

OUR TEAM

Dr. Andrew Damron, Chiropractor

Dr. Greg Washam, Chiropractor

Brooke Snyder, Operations Manager

Nicole Foreman, Licensed Massage Therapist

Erika Pantona, Insurance Specialist

Amy Faris, Patient Care Coordinator

Hours

Contact information