We at Living Well Family Chiropractic are excited to announce a new addition to our team: Dr. Jenna Ko. Dr. Ko, DC has been working in the natural health care field for twenty years. She began her journey into holistic health in 1994 while working as a chiropractic assistant in a chiropractic wellness office specializing in nutritional based healing. As her knowledge grew, she saw firsthand the healing of the body through natural methods. Utilizing a solid foundation of good food, the most effective nutritional supplement protocols and the power of positive thinking, Dr. Ko witnessed the body's incredible ability to heal itself. Without the use of medical drugs and surgery, Dr. Ko came to realize that God's miracle creation, the human body, will facilitate its own healing. It was then that she decided to follow her passion to achieve optimal health naturally by becoming a chiropractor and clinical nutrition specialist. Dr. Ko has been in chiropractic practice since 2003, helping others to achieve optimal health naturally as God had intended.

Dr. Ko possesses a unique approach to health. Different from other doctors, she assesses the entire person, “the structural, the chemical, and the emotional” components of health. The structural component is the physical body. The chemical component is everything that we ingest, inhale, or absorb into our bodies. And the emotional component is made up of our thoughts, both past and present and any events that have made a positive or negative impact on our lives. True health involves finding a balance between these three components, and in doing so one's body can obtain optimal health and well-being.

Dr. Ko is a board-certified applied kinesiologist, who specializes in balances the body through analysis and treatment of the structural, chemical and emotional components of the body. She utilizes applied kinesiology techniques, allergy elimination protocols, neuroemotional techniques, as well as hair analysis and comprehensive blood work analysis to formulate a personalized health improvement protocol to meet an individual's goals. She has been successful in assisting patients in healthy weight loss, detoxification, balancing blood sugar and preventing diabetes, thyroid disorders, hormone imbalances, cholesterol problems and various other unhealthy conditions. In her 20 years of experience in natural health care, Dr. Ko has been the patient, the student, and, with God's help, the facilitator of better health for all of those around her!

“Working to restore GOD’s perfect design in you!”

GERD/Acid Reflux and the Connection to Chiropractic Health

Medical professionals still have yet to determine the cause of gastroesophageal reflux disease, commonly known as GERD, but one current patient of mine, Dan C., found a method of treating it that he recommends to others. If you don’t know, GERD is “a chronic digestive disease that occurs when stomach acid…flows back (refluxes) into your food pipe (esophagus). The backwash of acid irritates the lining of your esophagus and causes GERD signs and symptoms.”[1]

The LES (lower esophageal sphincter)—“the ring of muscle between the esophagus and stomach”[2]— is triggered to relax by a wave that begins when we swallow food or liquid, and then spreads down the esophagus until it reaches the LES, which responds by opening and closing tightly. The muscles involved in this process are controlled by nerves that are located at T1-T4 on the spinal column. See the image below to get an idea of where T1-T4 are situated. 

It follows, then, that anything impairing the nerve impulses could ultimately cause our gastroesophageal mechanism to fail. Think about it: if the nerves in the T1-T4 area are compressed, the LES will open and close unnecessarily—even when there is no food or liquid to digest. This will cause stomach acid and chyme (which consists of partially digested food, water, hydrochloric acid, and various digestive enzymes[3]) to flow back into the esophagus.  

Overweight people have a much higher occurrence of GERD, and they also tend to have more back problems due to the extra weight they are carrying around. Is this a coincidence? And is it a coincidence that weightlifters and even cyclists and joggers are also at a higher risk of GERD, while these activities are also hard on the spine? Though the connection between nerve root compression and GERD has not been proven, it seems logical that they are in fact linked. 

If suffering from GERD, you might try icing your upper back and seeing if nerve root compression could be causing your symptoms. If you find that icing does help you, as Dan C. did when he suffered from severe acid reflux, you should consider seeking chiropractic help. As we’ve discussed previously on this blog, the health of your spine affects the health of your entire body. Good diet and probiotics can certainly provide relief of GERD and acid reflux symptoms, but it’s important to remember that you should always try to treat the problem, not merely the symptoms. 

Visit this website for a discussion of this topic that Dan initiated when he suffered from acid reflux: http://www.reflux.org/reflux/webdoc01.nsf/(vwWebPage)/SpinalTheory.htm?OpenDocument

“Working to restore GOD’s perfect design in you!”

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[1] Definition of “GERD.” Mayoclinic.org. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gerd/basics/definition/con-20025201>

[2] “Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).” WebMD. <http://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/guide/reflux-disease-gerd-1>

[3] “Chyme.” Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chyme>

Chiropractic BioPhysics: An Overview

In my last blog, I discussed the different types of chiropractic care and how my practice stands apart from the others. I mentioned my use of Chiropractic BioPhysics, Mirror Image Adjustments, Mirror Image Exercises, and traction, but many of you likely don’t know what this entails. Here, I’ll explain these methods further so that you can better understand them!

First, Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP). CBP was developed and began to be studied in the 1970s by Donald D. Harrison, PhD, DC, MSE and involves a higher level of spine remodeling techniques (which I will discuss later in this blog) than traditional chiropractic care.[1] If you are unsure of CBP, rest assured that it is not a “trend”—it is a technique taught in graduate courses at universities all over the world, and the extensive clinical trials and research studies that have been conducted over the past three decades have proved that its techniques and methods produce better results.[2] CBP-trained chiropractors learn the latest approaches to treat spine disorders and improve their patients’ health and overall wellbeing, which is something I am truly passionate about. 

So, what are the spine remodeling techniques involved in CBP? It begins with an examination of your posture, including x-ray analysis which I will share with you, compared to the ideal spine. See the image to get an idea of what the CBP Full-spine Normal Model looks like. This determines if/where any rotational (turn, twist, tilt) and translational (up, down, left, right, forward, back) abnormalities occur. In doing this, essentially I am using biology, physiology, physics, geometry, and anatomy to identify any spinal problems you may be experiencing. [3]

Once these problems are identified, we will move on to your Mirror Image treatment, another aspect of CBP. The Mirror Image Adjustments begin the process, and with these adjustments I place your body in the exact opposite position of the abnormal alignment of your spine. I use a table with movable parts to do Mirror Image Adjustments, which stimulates the nerves that control position and tone. Your adjustments will help to improve movement and aid your body in resetting its proper balance and muscle tone.  

While Mirror Image Adjustments “retrain” your body into the correct position, Mirror Image Exercises help to maintain these changes. I will provide you with the proper exercises for your particular spinal problem(s), and you will do these exercises at home on a daily basis. For patients who are more advanced or need greater correction, active resistance bands and specific equipment may be used during these exercises. This improves patients’ flexibility and strengthens the spinal muscles that have become weakened over time. 

Next is traction. The traction system that I created for my office consists of various straps that are placed and adjusted according to your personal health needs. For instance, if I analyze your x-rays and find that your neck does not have the proper curvature and instead tilts forward, I will place a strap across your forehead, hook the strap to the traction device until the proper position is achieved, and allow the traction to go to work. The vibrating floorboard stimulates your nervous system and essentially “tells” your body that this is the position it should keep. 

Another important aspect of our process is that you can do at home is Mirror Image Spinal Remodeling. Using a Denneroll orthotic device (made of a hard foam material) that I will teach you how to use, you will have the ability to continue your remodeling care on your own—essentially anywhere you’d like!  The Denneroll can be easily moved so that you can lie comfortably upon it and apply the right amount of pressure to help restore proper alignment. 

As your treatment plan progresses, the particular adjustments I do may vary, and we may modify your Mirror Image Exercises and Mirror Image Spinal Remodeling.  “Research on CBP Mirror Image techniques has found that the average patient achieves a 50% improvement in their spine and posture abnormality over the course of their initial 2-3 month regimen of care.”[4] If you are vigilant about the at-home treatments I prescribe for you and the traction goes according to plan you will be well on your way to recovery. In my next blog, I will describe the lifestyle changes you can—and should—implement in addition to these treatments in order to speed the entire process.

If you have questions about anything I’ve mentioned in this post, please feel free to contact me. I’d be happy to answer and let you know more about Chiropractic BioPhysics and what I do!

           

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[1] “Better chiropractic. Better chiropractors. A Better Approach to Spinal Health.” Chiropractic BioPhysics brochure, CBP Seminars & Deed E. Harrison, LLC.

[2] Id.

[3] Id.

[4] Id.