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New Hope Family ChiropracticNewsNews
By Webmaster March 15, 2024 0 Comments News , ,

What the Heck is Tech Neck?

In January 2007 a revolutionary new product was introduced to the market that changed how people interacted in all forms of daily activities.  Today the smartphone is in everybody’s hands all day and people are looking down at their phone 3 to 6 hours a day.  As a result, a new condition has been coined Tech Neck for those people who have been complaining about neck pain, upper back pain, and numbness in their arms and hands.

Tech Neck is caused by continuously putting the head and neck in the unusual position of looking down for extended periods of time.

Let’s look at the anatomy of the neck and how looking down all the time leads to bio-mechanical and degenerative changes to the spine and associated problems like neck pain, upper back pain, shoulder pain, and radiculopathy in the arms and hands.

Looking at a person from the side, the ear should be over the shoulder and the neck should have a 63-degree forward curve.  The curve of the neck is very important because it distributes the weight of the head throughout the curve of the spine providing a springing effect. The head weighs 13 to 18 pounds depending on the size of the person.  The head sits on top of the neck which acts like a long lever arm creating compressive forces on the disc and vertebral bone when looking down.  When looking down the muscles, ligaments, and tendons of the neck have to work harder to support the weight of the head.  The compressive forces of the head on the disc and vertebra accelerate degeneration of the disc and vertebra leading to very early arthritis and other conditions not normally seen in younger people.  It does not take long for a person to begin to develop a tech neck.  Pro long periods of daily looking down at your cell phone or some other handheld device will quickly lead to tech neck or the reversing of the cervical curve.

Allopathic physicians are seeing an explosion of young people coming into their offices with complaints of neck pain, headaches, shoulder pain, and numbness in the arms and hands.  These patients are prescribed rounds of anti-inflammatory medications, muscle relaxers, and headache medications that help to relieve the symptoms but do not correct the cause of the problem.

It does not matter how much medication you take or how much you stretch or try to strengthen the muscles of your neck and upper back, the problem will not go away until the curve of the neck is restored.  I have helped many young and old with this condition.  If you want to get relief and restore the natural curve of your neck you can click on this link or call my office today and schedule an appointment.

If you have been faced with Tech Neck issues and are looking for some resolution, please contact us by calling our office at 401-433-3600 or schedule a new patient exam appointment online.

By Webmaster March 2, 2024 0 Comments Chiropractic Care, News ,

The Effects of Alcohol On Your Spine

Have you considered the effects of Alcohol on your Spine

About ten years ago drinking red wine was considered a good healthy benefit because of a compound discovered in it called resveratrol. Resveratrol has been found to have many cardiovascular benefits as well as longevity effects. However, years later the authors of the study stated that resveratrol is very beneficial for your health but alcohol was not and resveratrol should be taken in supplement form and not from drinking wine. In other words, drinking a glass of red wine once a day was more detrimental to your health than getting the resveratrol from a glass of wine.

It is well known that daily consumption of alcohol in large or small quantities is detrimental to the health of your liver, blood vessels and kidneys but very few are aware of its devastating effects on your bones and joints. Alcohol is very acidic and the body(blood) has a certain pH level that it must maintain or you could go into a state of hyper-acidosis leading to organ damage (kidneys) and other nefarious conditions.

The body is smart so to prevent damage to the organs it will take calcium from the bone and blood to neutralize the acid and restore normal pH levels. What researches have also found is alcohol in the blood stream kills a very important cell in the bone called an osteoblast that are responsible for making new bone. Bone is not static. Your body is always removing old bone (osteoclast cells) and making new bone (osteoblast cells). When this process is interrupted the bone begins to become brittle (osteopenia) and become deformed and loses their strength. Deformities around the joint lead to arthritis and degenerative disc, degenerative joint disease. If you are experiencing stiffness or tightness or soreness first thing in the morning getting out of bed it is a sure sign of arthritis.

I experienced my first case of a daily wine drinker coming to me for back pain during my first year into practice.   He was an active gentleman in his early sixties who appeared to be very healthy.  His x-rays revealed a spine of an 80-year-old man.  I was shocked at what I saw.  I received 2 years of radiology studies and pathology studies while in chiropractic college and was never told of alcohol consumption causing this type of condition.  I asked him about his food consumption and he told me he would have a glass of wine or two each night for dinner. I began to ask my patients about diet and began to see a direct correlation with their bone health and flexibility.

Today the orthopedic industry is seeing a significant increase in joint replacement surgeries. Arthritis is not a disease of old age it is a nutritional deficiency induced disease that can be halted and improved with a healthy diet and the use of properly recommended supplements. Chiropractic is very helpful in restoring mobility and proper function to arthritic joints. If you are feeling the effects of arthritis and need help getting your health back click on this link or call my office.

If you have been faced with Spine issues and are looking for some resolution, please contact us by calling our office at 401-433-3600 or schedule a new patient exam appointment online.  

By Roger Lincoln February 15, 2024 0 Comments News

Rhodes Island’s Treasure, The Legendary Piano Man, Bernie Houle

The Legendary Piano Man Bernie Houle Shares His Secretes to Longevity

Mr. Houle celebrates his 98th birthday this year. What I find most remarkable about Mr.Houle is his attitude and his energy. At 97 Mr. Houle will be in my waiting room showing anyone who will watch how he can do sit-ups and push-ups and other calisthenic exercises most people half his age can’t do. He will preach to them how they need to eat right get up do some exercise and get their back checked at least once a month.

Mr. Houle started seeing a chiropractor after injuring his back lifting army gear while he was in the army during World War 2. Mr. Houle could hardly move but tried to power through the injury until he could not take the pain anymore. A fellow army mate suggested he see a chiropractor located just off the army base.

Mr. Houle had never heard of a chiropractor much less what they did, but he was hurting so bad he was willing to try anything. Needless to say, the chiropractic treatments helped Mr. Houle return to normal daily activities and become a believer in the power of a chiropractic adjustment.

After serving his country Mr. Houle ventured into the music business fixing and selling pianos. Mr. Houle’s mechanical aptitude and keen ear for tonal quality established him as the go-to man for fixing and selling the right piano for the biggest names in the music business that needed the right piano for the right price. To this day Mr. Houle still gets calls from recognizable names to fix or tune their piano. Fixing and tuning pianos is becoming a lost art because of the cheap throw-away pianos of today’s electronic instruments.

Mr Houle has a daily routine of getting out of bed when he wakes up and stretches and exercises for an hour. He lives in a high-rise apartment complex and will walk up 3 flights of stairs down the long hallway and down the 3 flights of stairs 6 to 8 times each day to get his cardio exercise in. He stays away from sugar products and carbohydrates focusing on fruits, plenty of vegetables, and meat. He is careful not to eat more than he needs to and takes joy in preparing and eating a healthy meal.

He is very socially active and outgoing and still drives every day. To stay mentally sharp, he plans his day to meet up with friends he has made at the apartment complex or community locations. He will often sit and play piano for the tenets in the community room or at different events keeping his memory sharp. While he does not need to go to soup kitchens or local food pantries, he has found it to be a place where he can meet and socialize with people. Mr. Houle does not believe getting old impedes life, he looks at age as an opportunity to grow in life and wisdom. He refuses to let aches or pains slow him down or encourage him to take up residence in a wheelchair or a walker. He has found that going to the chiropractor monthly or more over the past 50 years has contributed to his mobility, vitality health, and wellness.

At 98 Mr. Houle will be my oldest Chiropractic Patient and by far my most inspirational patient. We all can benefit from the example Mr. Houle sets. “ Get up, move, and don’t be afraid to work”.