Clear Point Wellness

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Arthritis and Chiropractic

2010-04-27T13:00:00.002-05:00

For many Americans, arthritis is an everyday struggle. Aches and pains are experienced sometimes while just moving around or walking. While most Americans already know that arthritis is a condition that they will have to live with for the rest of their lives, medicating the pain might not be the only answer.

Arthritis is an inflammation of a joint in the body that can be caused by a degenerative disease or even an allergen such as milk or red meat. The inflammation can be triggered at any point of the day and this condition can become a chronic problem where the pain becomes the focus of maintenance care.

Although pain meds will ease the pain, there are other alternative treatments that can help fight the inflammation and pain. Chiropractic treatment is a great way to help the body stay flexible and it allows the joints to stay mobile and not become so frozen. There are several different chiropractic techniques that are helpful, but the best results come from very subtle and gentle approaches towards the body.

Exercising and stretches can help the body stay flexible as well. Recent reports have shown that yoga and Tai Chi can also help the degenerative process that occurs in our joints.

Vitamin supplements such as antioxidants can help fight inflammation and glucosamine can possibly help regrow cartilage in the body. Also limiting red meat, dairy products and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can decrease inflammation triggers and keep your immune system healthy.

Having arthritis doesn't mean you can not live a full active life. Every year we are finding new and helpful ways to help fight arthritis that can include anything from chiropractic to acupuncture. Ask an alternative medical practitioner which one is right for you.

Natural Face Lift

2010-04-21T16:00:00.005-05:00

Muscles in the face appear to weaken with age and begin to sag. Why is this? We smile, we talk and chew and use our muscles every day. We may however not be using all of our muscles.

Muscles throughout our body have two functions one is active to move bones or blood or food, the other is static to change pressures and balance forces in the body. Our muscles get strong when active, and weak when they stay static for too long - notice how your muscles weaken if you stop working out for 3 weeks.

Tone can be restored to your facial muscles by changing their function from static to active, thereby enabling the muscles to regain strength and flexibility. Clear Point Wellness can bring tone back to your face by relieving pressures that require muscles to stay in a static phase, and by restoring flexibility to the underlying fascia and lymphatic systems. When there are fascial tensions around the lymphatic system, fluids build up and create a puffy appearance in the skin.

After muscles, fascia, and the lymphatic system are more flexible and dynamic exercises will continue to increase tone in your face.

Links to Face Lift Exercise Books under Anti-Aging

Can Drinking Milk lead to Cancer?

2009-11-06T14:00:00.002-06:00

Americans have grown up thinking 3 glasses of milk does the body good. I am here to say the American public has been misled. Research has now shown milk that contains rBGH, or recombinant bovine growth hormone, has been linked to several different types of cancer including prostate and breast cancer. Dairy companies will deliberately inject dairy cows with this genetically modified hormone in order to help cows produce more milk. The artificial growth hormone rBGH increases insulin-growth factor 1, or IGF-1, levels in the human body. IGF-1 helps regulate cell growth in the body but too much can lead to increased risks for prostate, colon, and breast cancer.

Most supermarkets and food companies have now stopped buying milk products that contain rBGH. Canada, Australia and most of Europe has completely banned the use of rBGH in dairy products but there are still dairy products out there that contain this harmful hormone. Why would someone drink a product that contains such a harmful unnatural ingredient? It is up to each American consumer to understand what is being put into their bodies. Look for dairy products that are "growth hormone free." American corporations will not always tell the public the truth about their products, especially if it is bad for business.

This website provides some great info about rBGH: http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/general/milk.htm

Soft Drinks

2009-10-29T13:15:00.013-05:00

Americans love to drink soft drinks. They drink them at lunch time, late at night, and sometimes even in the morning. But how good is that soda for your body? By now most individuals have realized that excessive consumption of sodas can in fact to lead to health conditions such as tooth decay, obesity, and diabetes. Yet even with all the health risks involved, people still have trouble kicking the habit of drinking sodas throughout the day.

Most soft drinks contain sugar or a sugar substitute. Sugar is made up of sucrose, which is one of the most natural organic compounds in the world. Sucrose can be broken down into a quick form of energy, which is why some people refer to their mid-afternoon soda as their "quick pick-me-up". The problem with drinking sodas for energy is that most sodas contain high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) instead of sucrose. High fructose corn syrup is a processed substitute for pure sugar and has been linked to causing obesity in adults and children. The reason is HFCS causes the liver to produce high amounts of triglycerides that can raise a person's cholesterol levels which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. It can also lead to insulin resistance which causes the food you eat to build up in the body and be stored as fat. Insulin resistance can also lead to high levels of fatty acids in your blood stream that can eventually lead to type II diabetes.

I know what you are thinking: just drink sodas with pure sugar in them right? This is a better idea but remember, a high intake of ANY type of sugar can raise blood sugar levels that can eventually lead to type II diabetes. Instead of drinking a soda for lunch, try a naturally juice flavored water or even iced tea. Freshly squeezed lemonade is also another good option.

Consider this: if a person consumes one 12 ounce can of soda per day, that person would have consumed 39 grams of sugar from a single can, and will consume close to 32 pounds of sugar in the span of a year! A 20 ounce bottle of soda every day for a year would amount to 52 pounds of sugar in a year!

It is any wonder that obesity and type II diabetes are more of a problem than ever among our nation's youth? These are problems that can be fixed, simply by decreasing the amount of sodas consumed. That tasty soda might only cost a dollar now, but it might wind up costing you more in the long run.

Check out this website for more info: http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2008/08/20/4274/the-dangers-of-high-fructose-corn-syrup/

Vitamins - Why do we take them?

2009-05-02T11:47:00.009-05:00

A long term study on women's health about the ability of vitamins to ward off death, cancer, or heart attacks suggests that vitamins have no bearing on the risk of these things occurring. See these recent articles:
> Vitamins: little effect on rates of disease?
> Vitamins show little benefit

However, these results are not surprising. The chronic conditions studied are influenced greatly by lifestyle habits. Exercise, diet, stress, mental and emotional states all contribute to health. Vitamins alone will not change your incidence of acquiring lifestyle diseases or warding off death. Unfortunately the public has drawn the wrong conclusion that vitamins have no benefit whatsoever. It is important to note that these studies were not designed to evaluate the benefit of vitamins; the vitamin use data was collected incidentally within a larger study. Other studies that were specifically designed to study vitamin usage have shown results for health benefit however:
> A daily multivitamin is a great nutrition insurance policy

Why would we want to take vitamins? Vitamins ensure that our body's chemical pathways have essential nutrients in plentiful supply. If we don't have the components necessary to respond chemically to our environment in the most efficient way, we will use other methods that require more energy and with less effectiveness -- causing stress on our system. Stress is a major affliction in today's world, and at the root of many chronic painful conditions. Taking food-based bioavailable vitamins is one way to reduce the amount of stress your body has to deal with on a daily basis. Not all vitamins are created equally. How vitamins are made, and the source of the components make a difference on how your body is able to utilize them.

Why not just eat better? Eating a varied and healthy diet with minimal additives and lots of water is essential for optimum health. However, a healthy approach to eating is not enough anymore. Why? The soils in the US have been depleted of nutrients over the last couple of decades which means the vegetables we grow from them are not as nutrient rich as they used to be. One of the reasons I believe we eat more than "we should" is that our bodies are looking for the nutrients that mass-produced food lacks.
> About Soil Mineral Depletion
> Nutritional Quality of Harvested Food

I suggest everyone supplement thier healthy diet with a multivitamin. When you are under stress or in pain, vitamins are even more essential. Vitamins may not keep you from dying, but they may reduce just enough stress to make your life more pleasant. More Nutrition Links
With Love, Dr. Lisa Hastings

Health care should be free

2009-01-29T21:01:00.003-06:00

Wouldn't it be wonderful if health care was free for all? While we're at it, how about food, housing and education? In the ideal world the basic necessities of life would be provided to all citizens of the world, but our economy just doesn't work that way.

In our money-based society we must pay for what we value. We spend money on our car, we buy new clothes, we eat out, we go on vacations -- yet most of us pay little toward health and well-being.

You might say that you spend a lot on health care. But you are probably including your cost of insurance, which has little to do with "health" care. Remember that insurance is just a way to lessen the risk of going bankrupt when "sick" care is needed. It can certainly pay off if something terrible happens (and if you have an ethical insurer), but does very little to help you stay well.

We Americans pay top dollar to avoid the risk of unforeseen medical expenses. Few of us pay for wellness. Yet wellness care is where we reap the biggest benefit in our quality of life.

So how much do you value being healthy and strong? What is your well-being worth in this capitalist society?

My own well-being is worth organic food, a relaxing and inviting home, a comfortable bed and pillow, good supportive shoes, clean water and air in my home, having fun with friends and family, gym membership, chiropractic care, massages, acupuncture, and rolfing.

Paying for the things that keep us healthy and strong gives us resources we need to grow in positive directions. What is your well-being worth to you?

TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint): An intersection of 3 planes

2008-08-29T17:21:00.006-05:00

Are you suffering from a painful TMJ and jaw condition? At Clear Point Wellness we look for the cause of your bite not settling in a comfortable spot. Some doctors might suggest that you try to adapt to an off-center bite with dental devices. We instead try to focus on the physical tension system in your body that pulls your jaw off-center in the first place.

The anatomy of the TMJ spans the head, neck and shoulder girdle. Its proper function depends on proper motion and tension in the cervical and thoracic spine, in the muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle, and on the freedom of movement in the cranial bones. Addressing the biomechanics of all these areas is necessary to correct TMJ.

Once your tension system has been brought back to center, the temporomandibular joint will usually function properly again. Sometimes detailed attention along all axes of movement is also necessary at the TMJ itself. In some instances irregularities of bites requires a dental night guard even after the tension system has been treated. Guards are helpful only after your jaw is able to sit in a neutral position. If a guard is custom-made for a tension system that is off-balance, it will simply enable the system to stay unbalanced.

Before you consider having your jaw surgically altered or getting a night guard, first make sure the tension in your head, neck and shoulders is addressed. If you live near Austin TX, come to Clear Point Wellness Chiropractic to correct your TMJ. If you live too far away to come in for a visit, make sure you see a chiropractor who specializes in TMJ and who also works with your cranial bones. Why go to the trouble to make your TMJ more bearable, when you can correct the biomechanics that cause it in the first place!

With Love,
Your Austin Chiropractor and Holistic GP
Dr. Lisa Hastings

Rest is work in our fast paced lives

2008-04-24T18:30:00.002-05:00

"I'll rest when I die."
"I have too much to do to waste my time sleeping."
"I'm so busy - where do people find the time."
"I can't be lazy - I must do something productive with my time."

Does this sound familiar? These thoughts are pervasive in our society among all age groups. We live busy lives, we move faster, we produce more, and we work, work, work. These ideas are so fundamental we often align our productivity with a sense of self worth.

The truth is these ideas are at the root of our sense of someone else's worth. Our sense of self worth is so often calculated from what others think of us based on what we give to them. What about what we are worth to ourselves? What will we give to ourselves? Rest is work we do for ourselves.

We have a certain amount of energy/vital force available for work. We can use this energy for thinking, for muscular activity, or for internal restructuring and neural integration (the function of sleep and rest). When we rest we are building a more sound and stable internal structure to think and move from.

Rest is work in our fast paced lives. It is hard to etch out time to work for yourself (rest). It takes dedication. For those of us who don't like feeling lazy know that as long as we are alive we are working. Who and what are we working for is the real question.

Rest helps us: heal, reduce the stress we feel, keep our mind clear and able to focus, be more productive, be in a better mood. It has a positive effect on: our mind, our immunity, our gut, our skin, our whole body.

Making time for ourselves to be still daily (even just 5 minutes), taking breaks from thoughtful and muscular work a couple times a day (even just 15 minutes each time), getting restful sleep nightly, and taking extended periods of rest at least a couple times a year adds immeasurably to our sense of wellbeing.

Take a little time on for yourself. You'll be amazed how much better you'll feel and how much more you'll have to give when your body receives the benefits of enough rest.

Minor injuries can take a long-term toll

2008-04-04T22:37:00.010-05:00

If you experience a minor injury or a physical jolt, you may feel sore for a while. A few weeks later you will probably feel fine. But you now have a "blind spot" in your sensory field; your body has probably limited your motion slightly to prevent further injury.

The good news is that your body can function comfortably in a compromised condition for a long time. But the cumulative effect of minor injuries can make you vulnerable later. In a few years, your compensating systems might become compromised too. If your symptoms are ignored, your body will shift to other systems that carry the load for a while. Your body becomes less flexible however and must rely on less functional systems to compensate. Perhaps a few times a year you experience pain, but it tends to go away, or maybe you just get used to it or you chalk it up to "getting older". Many years later (up to 20 years later), your compensating systems finally lose the ability to carry the load -- now the pain returns and does not go away.

It can take many years for the cumulative effects of blind spots in your sensory field and the locking down of the body parts associated with those sensors, before you might think about getting some help. Your body talks to you along the way though. Uncomfortable symptoms are your body's way of getting your conscious attention to help resolve an internal conflict.

If you pay attention to your body when you feel slight pain, instead of waiting until you are in severe pain, your entire body will benefit by being more flexible and functioning at peak performance. This is a much more pleasing way to live (as long as you live) -- rather than resigning yourself to the ever increasing restriction, pain, and pathology that we tend to "expect" from old age.