There are millions of Americans that are getting pain-related surgeries every year.  In my opinion, most of those should never happen. We have become a country dependent upon quick fixes, pills for every ill, and many times the notion “if it hurts, cut it out/off”. 

A typical scenario plays out like this:  

Yes, there can be structural problems, as well as muscular issues, on top of neurological disorders.  The fact of the matter is simple. EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED.  All the “systems” of the body work together and are inseparable!  

It comes down to understanding the anatomy and physiology of the human body.  I hear everyday “it’s just muscular” or “there’s nothing that can be done, it’s bone on bone”.   There is no such thing as “just a muscle problem” or “just a structural problem”. Bones, joints, muscles, and ligaments are all connected.  If a muscle is tight it will pull on the bone, if a bone is misaligned it will pull on the muscle. THEY ARE CONNECTED! 

The system that ties it all together is the nervous system.  Muscles DO NOT act on their own.  I have to explain this to patients everyday - muscles contract only when the nervous system tells them to.   Typically muscular contraction occurs if you want to either MOVE your body or stabilize joints, and most of the time muscular contraction occurs without you consciously thinking about doing it ( think artery dilation, diaphragm for breathing, postural muscles, constriction/dilation of the eye, etc.).   Everybody understands that muscular contraction moves joints, but most don’t understand that muscles also contract to stabilize and protect joints from moving too far or moving at all (if injury is present).

Your Encinitas chiropractor often see in patients is the latter. They have so much bone/joint degeneration that the intelligent nervous system fires those muscles surrounding the joint and in essence “hugs” the joint to limit range of motion.  This in turn will help avoid further tissue damage and decrease pain levels. However, prolonged “hugging” of the joint will ultimately lead to more joint degeneration. WHAT? WHY? Joints need motion, full range of motion, to stay healthy! Short term lack of motion can be a useful part of the healing process, but long-term chronic decrease in range of motion leads to pain!

As you can see, this intricate relationship between the nervous system, bones, joints, and muscles is VERY COMPLEX.  There are entire books and textbooks written to explain this relationship. The fact of the matter is...if you’re experiencing joint pain, low back pain, neck pain, elbow pain, etc., you need to look at ALL the factors involved, not just X-Ray/MRI, physical exam, blood tests, or any other test performed.  It is imperative to assess the underlying cause and treat accordingly. Patients at K2 Health Center always receive thorough evaluations to see what combination of treatment is needed.    

In my opinion, one of the biggest problems in healthcare is the lack of integration.  Most patients present to me after having tried many therapies, but hardly ever have they tried several therapies all at one time, in the right order, for a long enough time frame.  Healing does not happen in one day. It takes time, effort, and consistency.

We offer a combination of diagnostic testing, massage therapy, chiropractic adjustments, muscular rehabilitation, corrective exercises, nutrition therapy, Cold Laser Therapy, and lifestyle changes.  Look for a chiropractor in Encinitas or search for chiropractors near me for a check up.

Optimal Health for Active Lifestyles

by Dr. John Kupper

We are excited to introduce you to our 1st newsletter from K2 Health Center!  Our goal is to provide you with useful and meaningful information to better your health and life.  We believe that knowledge is power, especially when it comes to your health. Far too often, we are seeing patients that are lost and beat down by all the medical jargon and confusion surrounding healthcare these days.  Most are told that they are sick because of BAD GERMS, BAD GENES, or just BAD LUCK. Your Encinitas chiropractor team are here to help inform you how your body is supposed to work. Our focus is to show you the natural, inborn intelligence that controls and regulates everything that happens with your body.  Despite being told that your genetics determines your destiny, we will fight through the fog and break through to a new understanding of health. Let us arm you with power, knowledge, and confidence. YOU determine your health destiny and in turn the way you live your life. The choices you make are a result of your belief system.  Whether it be about food, exercise, money, family, relationships - you name it we behave based on what we believe. We behave based on our perception of reality. We are here to burst the bubble surrounding logical health reasoning and physiologically centered healthcare! Thank you for reading!

Does Over-the-Counter Mean Safe?

A bothersome trend we are seeing increasingly is the use of NSAIDs.  Go ahead and open up your medicine cabinet and count how many NSAIDs (ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen) you have in there.  The most common brand names we see include Aleve, Advil, Motrin, Excedrin, and Bayer. Or you can even take a stroll down to your local drug store and see dozens and dozens of pain relievers lining the shelves.  It has become commonplace in our culture to see these seemingly benign over-the-counter chemicals and most americans use them at record breaking levels.  

The key is, THEY ARE NOT BENIGN.  They are dangerous. Bulletproof evidence, with decades of data, shows that these abused drugs, even in small amounts, increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, internal bleeding, and gastro-intestinal disorders.  Not to mention the decrease in your body’s ability to grow new joint cartilage.  

FDA Releases Order to Change Warning Label for NSAIDs

The Food and Drug Administration recently (2015) announced that warning labels on NSAIDs will be strengthened.  The press release included the following:

PLEASE use these chemicals sparingly and responsibly.  In an article for the New York Times, Professor Bruce Lambert, director of the Center of Communication and Health at Northwestern University, explains that the data is now crystal clear and the evidence against these drugs “is now extremely solid”.  Lambert goes on to state, “ I don’t think we will ever see a study that says, ‘Oops, NSAIDs were safe after all.”

 

What we must remember is that NSAIDs were developed and approved in the 1950s  and have been sold over-the-counter for years. With all the extensive damage these medications have now caused, it is likely that if NSAIDs came out in 2019, they would be prescription only.  Not that it would drastically change the epidemic our country now faces in terms of pain medication abuse, but it would go a long way to limit the access and hopefully steer those seeking pain relief to more conservative treatment options.

For natural pain relief and anti-inflammatory action, your chiropractor in Encinitas typically recommend Omega-3 fatty acids (dosage will depend on blood labs testing) and Turmeric/Curcumin.  There are many others that are very effective and if used correctly, can make a big difference. 

Of course, getting to the root cause of pain is BY FAR the best course of action. Search for chiropractors near me or visit https://k2healthcenter.com/ for more information.

Sources:

FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA strengthens warning that non-aspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause heart attacks or strokes, FDA, accessed 2016

Experts Urge Sparing Use of Nonaspirin Painkillers, The New York Times, July 13, 2015

 

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K2 Health Center

317 N. El Camino Real Suite 110

Encinitas, CA 92024

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We believe in the God-given intelligence that animates the living world.

We believe the body is a self-healing, self-regulating system -

when properly nourished, and when free from interference and toxins, the body’s default state is health.

We believe health is SIMPLE - maybe not all the time easy, but always simple.

Through integrity, education and chiropractic, we aim to help our patients build and maintain optimal health.
Dr. Steven Keener believes in the power that animates the living world, revering the body as an innately intelligent organism of health and wellness.

Through education and empowerment, Dr. K guides patients to embrace a belief system centered on principles of physiology, trusting in the cause and effect of natural law.

With an emphasis in cranio-cervical neurology, tailored care plans are expertly designed to optimize the body’s potential to thrive.
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317 N. El Camino Real #110 
Encinitas, CA 92024
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Monday & Thursday:

10am - 1pm | 3pm - 6pm

Tuesday & Wednesday:

8:30am - 11:30am | 1:30pm - 4:30pm

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2pm - 6pm
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Wednesday
8:30am - 12pm and 2pm - 6pm
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