Over-the-counter or (OTC) orthotic insoles are foot supports that can be made from various materials which include:
Foam
Leather
Plastic
OTC insoles are designed to fit inside your shoe.
These have become popularized through T.V. commercials, fancy packaging and can be bought at pretty much any grocery/pharmacy store.
OTC’s can be marketed to:
Provide comfort�
Bring pain relief from common conditions:
Bunions
Plantar fasciitis
Arch support problems
OTC insoles are also available to fit in a variety of shoes:
High heels
Athletic shoes
Boots
That work with every individual’s lifestyle.
OTC insoles are dangerous and can cause more harm than help.
Many people do not realize their feet could be the cause of:
Knee
Hip
Back pain
This is why Chiropractors treat issues, such as plantar fasciitis by performing lower back adjustments and look to the feet when diagnosing and treating patients.
Patients must be cautioned against self-diagnosing and using OTC orthotics.
Custom made orthotic insoles are a great solution.
Here are the three bad things that OTC insoles can do to your body.
1. OTC Insoles Do Not Provide Support
Every person�s body is unique.
We are all different:
Heights
Weights
Have different body compositions
This also means that our feet are unique, with some of us even having two feet that completely different from one another. Because of our unique body composition, there is really no one-size-fits-all cure. When it comes to the feet, customization is the key. Ineffective support can lead to increased pain and discomfort.
The way to avoid ineffective support is to seek professional advice first.
You see the scanners inside the stores to help you find which insole is right for you, however, these are designed to sell, sell, sell.
Getting a foot scan by a medical professional that can assess your body and feet in person is the way to go.
They will talk with you, personally about treatment options and will help you find the best solution.
2. Make Physical Discomfort Worse & Cost You More Money because now you need Treatment
OTC insoles are typically made of inexpensive materials.
OTC insoles wear down faster and require constant replacement.
You could purchase the wrong type of OTC insole, which can create more pain and discomfort.� When experiencing pain or discomfort, our bodies are under stress. Stress also increases from financial burdens or seeking medical treatment which can be time-consuming and uncertain.
Self-diagnosing your issues while standing in a store can be dangerous, instead relieve your stress by seeking expert help.
Custom orthotics are also covered by some insurance providers.
3. The function of Your Foot/Ankle Worsens
Body function goes down when insoles are not properly prescribed or fitted.
The wrong insole can make a well-fitting shoe too tight for example.
Wrong insoles can redistribute body weight the wrong way to think that the foot pain is alleviated but then the ankles get sore or we can’t bend our feet.
Bad insoles can also make it difficult to run or walk.
Wearing the wrong insole can create new injuries.
Orthotics alter the way our bodies move and affect how we walk, stand, and absorb shock.
Selecting the right orthotic is essential to how our body functions every day.
Custom orthotics are designed specifically for an individual�s body:
Stabilize joints
Reduce pain
Prevent deformity
Create proper posture�
Improve foot function
Remember that it’s not possible to purchase� OTC insoles designed specifically for an individual.
But you can get custom fit orthotics to:
Relieve discomfort
Help your body operate properly
Save you stress and money
Proven Reduced Back Pain with *FOOT ORTHOTICS* | El Paso, Tx
Kent S. Greenawalt, President, and CEO of Foot Levelers discuss how custom foot orthotics can help reduce back pain, low back pain, and sciatica. In a recent research study published by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), researchers demonstrated that Foot Levelers custom foot orthotics help considerably reduce back pain and several of its associated health issues. The research study also demonstrated that Foot Levelers custom foot orthotics and chiropractic care help tremendously reduce low back pain and sciatica. Foot Levelers custom foot orthotics and chiropractic care helped improve the patient’s overall health and wellness. Dr. Alex Jimenez is a chiropractor in El Paso, TX who can help provide these benefits through the utilization of chiropractic care and Foot Levelers custom foot orthotics, among other treatments.
What’s Afoot
If you have low back pain�or have had it, you are not alone. Experts estimate that around�80% of people�will experience some type of back problem at some point in their lives.�The Global Burden of Disease 2010�lists low back pain as the number one cause of disability worldwide. The good news is the majority of back pain is mechanical in origin or is not organic. This means that infection, cancer, fracture, inflammatory arthritis, and other serious conditions are not the cause. In fact, you may benefit by looking to your feet, knees,�and hips as the culprits.
NCBI Resources
Experienced chiropractors understand there are some other treatments in addition to chiropractic care that help aid pain management, increase mobility, and decrease healing time. Depending on the condition, individuals may experience a wide array of benefits from blending these treatments into their chiropractic treatment. One such treatment is orthotics or inserts. If life were a sandbox, chiropractic care and orthotics would be the best of friends. They treat muscle and skeletal conditions, as does chiropractic treatment.
For many chiropractic patients, the first experience with chiropractic comes during early adulthood or middle age. Most adults seek out chiropractic care because they are in some sort of pain. If you are one of those that are new to chiropractic, its effectiveness may surprise you. Your next thought might be about how chiropractic could help others in your life�friends, family and more.
Fortunately, sharing chiropractic with your loved ones is easy because it is so well-suited to just about everyone. Whatever the age of the individual, chiropractic can be adapted to provide gentle preventative care and to improve overall health.
Smiling multi-generation family smiling down at the camera
Chiropractic for Children
Sometimes it can seem like children are invincible. They are flexible, heal quickly and tend to bounce back from situations that would floor an adult. But kids need support to be as healthy as possible, especially as they grow up. Chiropractic care is excellent for encouraging healthy growth in infants, toddlers, children, and teens.
Some of the benefits of chiropractic for children include:
Spinal alignment. The small spines of children can become misaligned much like those of adults. Regular chiropractic adjustments help to bring your child�s spine back into proper alignment, which encourages proper functioning of the nervous system, immune system and more.
Healthy movement patterns. It is normal to develop at least a few unhealthy movement patterns as we move from childhood to adulthood. These bad patterns can lead to injuries on down the line. Chiropractic care can help teach children how to move safely, which can yield benefits for a lifetime.
Gentle adjustments designed for young bodies. Chiropractors who work with children learn special techniques to ensure that adjustments heal and not hurt. Immature bodies work in much the same way as older bodies, but a delicate touch is still important for safety.
Chiropractic Care for Older Adults
Older adults can also experience numerous benefits from chiropractic care. The elderly in particular face a number of health challenges that chiropractic can assist with. Some of the benefits of chiropractic care for older adults include:
Pain relief. Chiropractic can do wonders for pain management, all without drugs or surgery. Regular adjustments and other supplemental therapies have been proven to reduce or eliminate pain, something older adults can truly appreciate.
More mobility. Just because you get older does not mean you should have to stop doing the things you love. Chiropractors know how to gently increase your mobility so that you can get back on your feet and enjoy life the way you deserve.
Improved immune response. The nervous system and immune system are linked in many ways. Adjustments help to align the spine and improve nervous system function. An adjustment can also aid in immune system function, which means your body can fight off invaders more effectively.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment with our chiropractic team. We look forward to meeting you!
Benefits of Using Custom *Foot Orthotics* | El Paso, TX (2019)
Foot Orthotics
Experiencing foot pain, there�s no doubt you checked out your foot to make sure it�s not�injured�or hurting from�improper fitting shoes, corns, plantar fasciitis, etc. This may seem counterintuitive, but you may want to check the condition of the�lumbar spine (lower back)?� Most foot problems are caused by issues with the foot itself, but you might be surprised to find that pressure on the sciatic nerve can cause intense foot pain.
What is a Pronated Foot and Can Custom Orthotics Help?
When a foot is pronated, it means the arches have fallen and the foot is flat.
Flat feet are less shock-absorbent and make for a less stable base for the rest of the body. This includes the bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
Flat Feet can also:
Shift the body out of alignment
Cause pain in the feet, knees, hips, neck, and spine
Lead to injury/s like shin splints, Achilles tendinitis, and plantar fasciitis
Women with flat feet are 50% more likely to have low back pain
Up to 1/3 of people suffer from flat feet
�Pronation Causes
The connective tissue, called the plantar fascia, on the underside of the foot is what maintains the foot�s healthy arch shape.
Walking and standing, injury and health conditions can cause the fascia to stretch out and flatten.
Once the fascia stretches out, there is nothing to bring the spring back.
Treatment
Chiropractic adjusting to ensure proper positioning of bones and joints
Custom orthotics for pronation control, support, and comfort
Chronic Inversion Sprain
Foot Dysfunction can very easily cause a domino effect that extends all the way to the back. The feet are the foundation of the body and when there is a problem with the way they function it can cause the entire body to shift out of alignment. For instance, overpronation of the foot causes a series of internal changes that extend up through the leg. The femur may rotate causing hip pain and inflammation of the sacroiliac joint which leads to back pain. Other misalignments in the body that are caused by foot problems can also lead to chronic lower back pain as well.
NCBI Resources
The best way to keep your spinal joints healthy over the long-term is to make regular visits to your chiropractor while also maintaining a healthy diet and�exercise regimen. Everyone is different, which is why it is important to get customized treatment from your chiropractor.
College can be one of the most exciting times in a person�s life. With everything that comes with college also comes massive amounts of physical stress. Sitting all day, hunched over textbooks and laptops, even watching videos on your phone or texting, put constant strain on the spine that you may not be aware of. Chiropractic�can help alleviate the stress, relax the muscles and align the spine for optimal health, making it an ideal health solution for your college lifestyle.
How Chiropractic Benefits College Lifestyle
There are a lot of ways that chiropractic can help you feel better and even perform better at college. A healthy body makes everything easier, and chiropractic is designed to aid in a healthy lifestyle.
Some of the ways chiropractic can help include:
1. Heals the damage caused by extended sitting.
Sitting for long periods every day has been shown to increase the risk of death, and has been connected with a number of different health issues. The most important thing you can do each day is get up and move around every half hour or so, if possible.
But there is another thing you can do to address the tightness in soft tissues, compression of spinal discs and other effects sitting has on your body�get chiropractic adjustments. Regular adjustments realign your spine, reduce pressure on discs and help to relax the tightness in muscles and other soft tissues.
2. Helps correct poor posture.
Studying and working on the computer for long periods of time can be exhausting, there is no denying. Unfortunately, as you get tired you tend to hunch and slouch in ways that are not good for your back and neck. While paying attention to your posture is important and can help somewhat, the reality is that no one can maintain the perfect posture for hours and hours.
By visiting your chiropractor, you can get much-needed adjustments to your back and neck that will help to correct damage caused by poor posture. Your chiropractor can also give you tips on how to maintain the best possible posture and ergonomics on a daily basis to minimize further damage.
Meeting Talking Discussion Brainstorming Communication Concept
3. Heals neck injuries like text neck.
According to recent research, looking down at your phone for an extended period of time is the equivalent of putting a 60-pound weight on your neck. As you go about your day, notice how often you are staring down at your phone.
Whether it is texting with friends, watching a video or looking something up, you spend a considerable amount of time with that 60-pound weight on your neck. If your neck hurts, it is easy to understand why.
Chiropractic care is an excellent way to heal neck injuries including those caused by text neck. Regular adjustments can bring back the space between your vertebrae and help your neck heal.
4. Maintains spinal health.
Whether you hit the gym every day, play sports, or try to never move from the couch, you are always putting pressure on your spine. Your chiropractor is trained to help you maintain spinal health in a variety of ways, including chiropractic adjustments and lifestyle advice concerning healthy movement. By developing a relationship with your chiropractor that includes regular visits for adjustments and consultations on spinal issues you are experiencing, you can enjoy much better spinal health.
Contact Us & Schedule An Appointment
The best way to learn the benefits of chiropractic care is to meet with an experienced chiropractor. Please contact us to schedule an appointment. Let us help you enjoy a healthier spine and all the benefits that come with it.
A winged scapula is a debilitating condition left untreated. The condition is often spotted by the protrusion or the sticking out of the scapula from the back. Fortunately, chiropractic treatment can fix the condition. This and associated therapies can help you get relief from your symptoms, and to strengthen your shoulders to avoid further discomfort.
Symptoms
The symptoms of a winged scapula can include:
Protrusion of the shoulder blade from the back
Pain when sitting from pressure on the scapula
Difficulty moving the shoulder and arm
Weakness in the shoulder and arm
Sometimes the symptoms of a winged scapula are relatively minor in the beginning. You may only have a little discomfort at the start. But symptoms tend to get worse over time, so it is important for you to seek treatment sooner rather than later.
The damage to the thoracic nerve can cause muscles in the shoulder to become paralyzed, leading to winged scapula symptoms. Many times the appearance of a winged scapula indicated other problems in the back and shoulder.
Poor posture can also lead to a winged scapula. Years of poor posture can weaken the muscles that hold the shoulder in place to the point where a winged scapula is more likely to occur.
Chiropractic Care Can Help
I.D. The Cause
Because this condition can be caused by several different issues, it is important to determine the exact cause before beginning treatment. A chiropractor is well-qualified to give you a full body examination to locate the source of your injury.
Realigning The Thoracic Nerve
Chiropractors are skilled at aligning the human body, including the thoracic nerve. We can locate the point where misalignment of the nerve has occurred and often correct it.
Strengthening The Shoulders
As a winged scapula is often the result of weakened shoulder muscles, the most effective treatment is usually to strengthen the muscles. Our team can guide you in rehab exercises to return your muscle strength and support your shoulder. We can also help you learn how to activate the right muscles in the right manner to operate your shoulder properly.
The symptoms of a winged scapula can come on slowly, which makes many sufferers feel like they should try fixing the issue themselves before seeking medical care. Unfortunately, trying to heal a winged scapula on your own is not likely to be effective.
In fact, you will need some sort of assistance to even apply ice to the area, You will also need help to identify exactly what is wrong and to treat it. Seeking qualified care is recommended.
Helping You Heal
A winged scapula can be quite painful. You should not have to suffer from should pain and back pain. We encourage you to contact us to schedule an appointment and get the treatment you deserve. We are happy to help you with all your chiropractic needs.
Research shows that back pain is a common complaint for teachers. When you factor in the mental stress as well as the physical demands, it is easy to see how they could have problems with aches and pains. Chiropractic care offers a proactive approach to health care and overall wellness to keep teachers pain free.
Teachers go through a lot in a day. They spend hours on their feet. They bend, stoop, and lift, hunching over students� desks helping them and carrying heavy books. They sit at a desk, grading papers. It�s no wonder so many of our educators complain of neck and back pain! The good news is, regular chiropractic care can help alleviate those symptoms so that teachers can keep doing what they do best � sculpting young minds.
Why Teachers should Seek Chiropractic Care
When you are juggling home, family, and career, it is easy to put your health on the back burner. You may start out ignoring that twinge of pain in your lower back, or those headaches that you get now and then. But if left untreated, these problems can worsen.
That occasional back pain could turn into a full-time ordeal, affecting your arms, legs, even your feet. The occasional headaches could steadily increase in intensity and frequency until it seems you can�t go a day without one.
When your body is bombarded with pain it affects every aspect of your life. Even low-level pain that is constant can lower your performance on the job and at home. It can cause irritability, difficulty concentrating, and fatigue. Your students suffer; your family suffers. It is really worth it?
Chiropractic care is a proactive approach to better health both mentally and physically. It will help you stay on top of your game so that you function better in the classroom as well as at home.
When you feel better you will have more energy to do the things you enjoy. Even once a week or once every two weeks in a chiropractor�s office can make a world of difference in how you feel and how you function.
What Chiropractic won�t do for Teachers
Chiropractic is a natural approach to health care. It provides patients with a non-invasive, medication-free way to manage their pain. The teacher who seeks out chiropractic care will not be prescribed mind-numbing medications that upset the stomach and inhibit your performance in the classroom.
It won�t prescribe invasive procedures that require time off work and out of the class while you recuperate. Medical doctors often just treat just the symptoms without every addressing the root of the problem. This is an almost sure-fire guarantee that your problems will return because they were never resolved.
Chiropractic seeks to find the cause of the problem so that the pain can be managed, not just temporarily relieved.
How Chiropractic Benefits Teachers
When you visit a chiropractor, he or she will do much more than just adjust your neck and back. They may discuss with you the activities you enjoy, what your schedule is like, and how you spend your day.
While they will realign your spine and bring your body back into alignment, they will also help you in other areas as well. This translates to fewer sick days, less pain, and increased effectiveness in the classroom.
Chiropractic provides a whole-body approach to wellness. It sees the patient, treating the underlying causes, not just the symptoms.
Your chiropractor may offer nutrition and dietary advice, advising you to lose weight, eliminate certain foods from your diet, or add certain foods. They may recommend lifestyle changes like quitting smoking or incorporating exercise into your daily routine.
You may be given supplements that support your immunity, joints, or overall health. By treating the whole patient, chiropractic is more effective and will greatly improve the patient�s quality of life.
Functional Medicine Doctor Explains Women’s Hormones
We discussed the basics for men�s hormones. Now let�s discuss the basics for women�s hormones. Unfortunately, the effects of our diet and our environment become more obvious in the anatomy and biochemistry of women. These may frequently manifest as hormone imbalances and they can greatly affect their quality of life. Mood disorders have become an epidemic.
By way of instance, depression affects 20 percent of women, about twice as much in women than in men. And premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, affects between 60 and 75 percent of women in the United States. Infertility is also an epidemic which affects more than one in seven couples and it is generally managed by reproductive endocrinologists through invasive procedures, hormone treatments, and in vitro fertilization, or IVF, often without even evaluating what is the cause of the reproductive health issues. I�ve helped many women improve their hormone imbalances through the basic principles of functional medicine.
Now, these are only several of the reasons why we need to determine the source of hormonal imbalances in women. And I believe this knowledge can help women find the answers they need to improve their overall health and wellness. Most importantly, you need to learn to listen to what your body is telling you. After all, the human body is one of the best doctors.
Taking Control of Women’s Hormones
Women�s hormones are much more complex than men�s hormones because they�re constantly changing based on their cycle as well as on their stage of life. If you�re experiencing mood swings, irregular cycles, menstrual pain, heavy bleeding, infertility, weight gain, and brain fog, functional medicine can help improve your symptoms by balancing your hormones.
So, let�s discuss the differences between pre-menopausal women and post-menopausal women. Pre-menopausal women should experience regular cycles every 28 days that last two or three days without a lot of pain, not too heavy bleeding, and no PMS. However, most women don�t experience regular cycles. A proper nutrition consisting of low sugar and starch, high fat, and more fiber can help correct abnormal cycles. A plant-rich diet can also help improve abnormal cycles. Caffeine and alcohol consumption can even cause hormone imbalances in women. Proper nutrition, including taking supplements like magnesium, B vitamins and fish oil, exercise, sleep, and stress management can help regulate your hormones. This is generally enough to help most women.
A doctor or functional medicine practitioner can also help balance your hormones. Because women�s hormones fluctuate throughout their cycle, progesterone and estrogen levels may be different for each woman. Also, depending on the hormonal health issues, patients may need to run their hormone lab panel tests on either day three or day 21 of their cycle for best results.
Furthermore, we will also need to evaluate your ratio of hormones, like that of estrogen to progesterone, because these can be the cause of numerous symptoms for many women. Estrogen dominance is one of the most common problems associated with a woman�s hormone ratio. Progesterone levels in women should be at their highest during the last half of their cycle. The hormone ratio between progesterone and estrogen should be 10 to one. However, if the human body is not producing the required amounts of progesterone, symptoms of estrogen dominance may begin to manifest, regardless if the human body�s estrogen levels themselves are low. Symptoms of estrogen dominance can include: anxiety, heavy bleeding, PMS, breast tenderness, shorter cycles or spotting between cycles, infertility, fluid retention, weight gain, and sleeping problems.
FSH is produced by the brain to help the follicles and the ovaries prepare to release an egg. LH is another hormone produced by the brain which triggers the release of an egg into the uterus so that conception can occur. LH also helps produce progesterone during the second half of your cycle, which may be another reason why many women have low progesterone levels.
These hormones are fundamental to look at if you�re trying to have a baby. The elevated hormone ratio between LH and FSH can demonstrate the presence of a common health issue known as PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome. PCOS is actually not an ovarian health issue. As a matter of fact, it�s a common problem associated with a poor diet and insulin resistance. An increased consumption of sugar and starch can cause irregular cycles, heavy bleeding, acne, hair loss, and infertility.
As for post-menopausal women, hormone blood panel tests are just as important and we generally don�t need to worry about having to evaluate them on a specific day of the month. Also, when we test a woman who�s in their perimenopause, their hormones may be tremendously unstable. Therefore, it�s ultimately essential to diagnose a woman�s symptoms to help treat the source of the health issue.
We previously discussed the importance of testosterone in men. However, testosterone is also important in women. Many women visit numerous doctors after experiencing low energy levels as well as a decreased sex drive. Most doctors will associate these symptoms with aging or they may even tell them it�s all in their head and simply prescribe them some Prozac. But if we were to run a blood panel test on them, their testosterone levels would often come back undetectable. It�s no wonder why women don�t feel like themselves after they�ve lost their libido and their vitality.
Total testosterone levels in women should be between 60 and 80 while free testosterone levels should be over 0.5. Testosterone is fundamental towards maintaining lean muscle mass and optimizing energy. Testosterone is also important for clear brain function.
Now women, if you have low testosterone levels, this may be causing you to experience a reduced sex drive or it may even be making you feel fatigue. However, this isn�t always the cause of these symptoms. That�s why it�s so essential for women to test their sex hormone levels. Testosterone is what is known as an androgen, or a male hormone, but it�s also found in women. Other androgens that help contribute to male characteristics include androstenedione, dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, and DHEA. In polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, women will commonly develop elevated levels of any of these hormones. Women who consume a lot of sugar and starch may also develop acne, hair loss or they may even grow facial hair. All of these are symptoms of too much testosterone in women.
PCOS affects approximately 8 to 12 percent of women. As previously mentioned, this health issue is a metabolic problem caused by poor nutrition which ultimately affects the human body�s insulin levels. It can also affect other hormones, such as the androgens we previously discussed. When women develop insulin resistance, the production of male sex hormones can increase. Other tests are important when PCOS is caused by FSH and LH hormones.
FSH generally triggers ovulation. However, if a woman�s FSH is too low due to PCOS, ovulation, and therefore, conception can�t occur. This is why women with PCOS are also commonly diagnosed with infertility. And the key is in a woman�s LH to FSH ratio. Increased levels of LH can stimulate androgens, such as testosterone, and decreased levels of FSH can stimulate the follicles and estrogen. Furthermore, facial hair or thinning of the head hair, irregular menstrual cycles, heavy bleeding, and weight gain in women can be symptoms of PCOS. Although PCOS is believed to be a health issue which exclusively affects overweight women, we�re starting to see an increase of women with healthy weights develop PCOS.
Because functional medicine focuses on finding the source of the health issue, if we see cysts on your ovaries or if any other lab tests indicate the presence of PCOS, we won�t simply stop there. And most often, we just have to look back at the patient�s diet. The high consumption of sugar and starch causes a tremendous metabolic disturbance which can cause a variety of other health issues. We will discuss these various metabolic conditions in another article.
Hormones are fundamental to women’s health. Female sex hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, influence a woman’s mood, menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, and more. A variety of other hormones can also affect other aspects of a woman’s health. One of the most common health issues associated with hormonal imbalances in women is known as polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS. Women can be tremendously affected by hormone fluctuations. It’s essential for women to seek help from a doctor to find out if their symptoms are caused by hormone imbalances. Functional medicine can also help regulate hormones. Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C., C.C.S.T. Insight
Understanding Women’s Hormones
We measure hormonal imbalances through simple blood tests and we can also measure hormones through urine tests. Tests known as the �DUTCH� and the �Essential Estrogens� are provided by Genova to determine hormone metabolites. These can also determine the downstream breakdown products of hormones in order to help demonstrate what�s happening with your hormone metabolism.
Now, let me explain what are some of the most important things doctors or functional medicine practitioners look at when ordering a DUTCH test or an Essential Estrogens test. Hormone metabolism tests demonstrate your absolute hormone levels as well as which types of metabolites are being triggered. And this is what we utilize to look at your estrogen levels, androgen levels, and progesterone levels, as well as your cortisol levels, which we will discuss later. These are essential metabolites that can be found through our saliva, blood, and urine. We even look at all the different varieties of estrogens which get broken down by the liver.
So, it�s fundamental that we look carefully at our hormone levels. Testing for hormonal imbalances in both men and women can tell us a lot about what�s causing our symptoms as well as what we can do to treat them. We can recommend a series of lifestyle modifications, including guidance and advice in nutrition and exercise. At least that�s what a good functional medicine doctor would do.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal health issues as well as functional medicine topics and discussions. To further discuss the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at�915-850-0900�.
Curated by Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topic Discussion:�Acute Back Pain
Back pain�is one of the most prevalent causes of disability and missed days at work worldwide. Back pain attributes to the second most common reason for doctor office visits, outnumbered only by upper-respiratory infections. Approximately 80 percent of the population will experience back pain at least once throughout their life. The spine is a complex structure made up of bones, joints, ligaments, and muscles, among other soft tissues. Injuries and/or aggravated conditions, such as�herniated discs, can eventually lead to symptoms of back pain. Sports injuries or automobile accident injuries are often the most frequent cause of back pain, however, sometimes the simplest of movements can have painful results. Fortunately, alternative treatment options, such as chiropractic care, can help ease back pain through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, ultimately improving pain relief. �
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Functional Medicine Doctor Explains Men’s Hormones
Hello there, it�s Dr. Alex Jimenez again and welcome to part four of �Taking Control of your Healthcare�. Today, we�re going to discuss hormones. Hormones regulate most of the human body�s systems as they are recognized as the messenger molecules of the endocrine system. Hormone imbalances can cause subtle changes, however, their effects can tremendously impact an individual�s overall health and wellness. And what�s worse, most healthcare professionals don�t treat hormonal imbalances unless they�ve already been considered extreme.
The sex hormones, the thyroid hormones, and the adrenal hormones are the most important hormones we have to keep in balance. There�s a variety of other hormones, of course, but health issues associated with those are often more rare. Many doctors generally won�t test a person for hormone imbalances unless they�ve been trying to conceive a baby or they have sexual dysfunction or any other health issue of this type. And frequently, many doctors miss other problems by performing a screening test rather than a complete test.
What are Hormones?
Hormones are essential towards mental health, gut health, and reproductive health. In functional medicine, we even believe that hormones are vital towards maintaining a healthy immune system. Even if you�re not trying to conceive a baby or if you don�t have sexual dysfunction, it�s important for both men and women to known what their hormone levels look like.
Now, let�s discuss hormonal imbalances in sex hormones. First of all, How does a hormone imbalance manifest itself? Do you experience mood swings and fluctuations in your energy levels? Or if you�re a female, do you experience symptoms of PMS? Or perhaps you need coffee to wake up in the morning and wine to sleep at night? Has your sex drive, or libido, decreased? Do you have brain fog? Or is it difficult for you to focus on tasks?
If you�ve experienced any of these symptoms, you might have a hormonal imbalance in your sex hormones. Hormones are small molecules in charge of transmitting signals from one body system to another. But, if these molecules aren�t functioning accordingly, our energy levels and our mood can be tremendously affected. If you feel that something is off within your own body, talk to your doctor and seek proper testing. Don�t simply guess.
Let�s begin by discussing how you test your hormones. In functional medicine, we can test through saliva, blood, urine, and even stool. But, which is best for testing hormones? The truth is, knowing how and when to test your hormones is important because testing can depend on the marker that you want to look at. By way of instance, blood testing is one of the best and most affordable if you�re simply looking for a preliminary screening. A functional medicine doctor can also determine when a urine test will be more helpful than a blood test or a saliva test.
Taking Control of Men’s Hormones
So, now that you know how to test your hormones, we�ll discuss the different health issues caused by hormonal imbalances in the sex hormones of both men and women. First, let�s talk about men. As for the women, this is still an essential topic for you to learn about because the men in your lives are much less likely to schedule a doctor�s appointment for themselves.
Approximately 39 percent of men over the age of 45 have low levels of testosterone, or what�s known as low T. Elevated insulin levels associated with diabetes and obesity can lower your testosterone levels, which in turn, can increase estrogen levels. When testosterone goes down, your sex drive, or libido, and other functions can be tremendously affected. Excess consumption of sugar and starch can have different impacts for both men and women. Additionally, the utilization of certain drugs and/or medications, lack of exercise and physical activity, as well as inflammation, can also contribute to lower testosterone levels. While the majority of doctors won�t test testosterone levels in a man unless they have sexual dysfunction, I always want to make sure to test the sex hormones if a man has belly fat.
I would also like to discuss the serious side effects of a drug/medication which is commonly prescribed for sexual dysfunction. Statins can help lower cholesterol, however, did you know that your testosterone is made from cholesterol? That�s right. And when you start taking a drug/medication which was designed to decrease your cholesterol, you may also potentially be decreasing your sex hormones. It�s well-known that statins can decrease testosterone, leading to sexual dysfunction and even sometimes causing men to grow breasts, a condition known as gynecomastia. Side effects like these occur when we don�t treat the source of a health issue.
What you eat, including mainly sugar and starch, can be associated with your low testosterone levels and your abnormal cholesterol levels. Treatments like these where you take a drug for one thing but then end up taking another medication for the side effects of the fist medicine is unfortunately something that happens a lot in the medical field, and it can be a real nightmare.
Male testosterone levels are decreasing so much with each generation that normal reference ranges for testosterone levels in males are changing. But, that�s not something we want to happen. We don�t want these abnormal changes to become normal. Therefore, shouldn�t we be trying to find out why the overall health and wellness of our population is decreasing at such an alarming rate rather than lowering our normal standards of well-being?
Before we do that, however, we first have to understand why this problem is happening. From our increased exposure to toxins and our elevated levels of stress to our higher consumption of processed foods, these are only several of the more obvious reasons why our hormones are being affected.
In conventional medicine, the reference ranges for testosterone are between 264 and 916.
When you think about it, however, this is a tremendous range. Does a man with a testosterone level of 265 have the same sexual function as a man with a testosterone level of 916? Most definitely not. Yet these two people are classified under the same category. And with that in mind, what are the optimal reference ranges for testosterone? Men under the age of 30 should have a testosterone level of over 700, and men over the age of 30 should have a testosterone level of at least 500.
Evaluating men�s total testosterone levels is essential but we also need to evaluate their active hormone levels, or their free testosterone levels. Testosterone is carried around on what is known as a sex hormone binding globulin, which then releases it as the human body needs it. This carrier protein is found in the blood and when there�s too much of it, it becomes difficult for the human body to release testosterone when it�s needed.
In men, free testosterone levels should be of at least 10 but, they should optimally be closer to 15 or 20. Additionally, your doctor should check the sex hormone binding globulin or SHBG. As we discussed before, this carrier protein for testosterone and other hormones, can decrease your free testosterone levels. If you don�t check your SHBG, your total testosterone levels might be normal but your free testosterone levels might be too low.
By way of instance, SHBG is similar to a bus filled with many workers. In this case, the workers are testosterone. When we have too many buses, the majority of the workers will stay on the bus while only a few will be out doing their job. A man can have a total testosterone level of 700, however, if they have a free testosterone level of only 5, they�re bound to still feel like they have a total testosterone level of 300.
In summary, we want to make sure that our total testosterone level is over 500 or better, over 600 and we also want to make sure that our free testosterone level is between 15 and 20.
Another hormone you might want to make sure you get tested for is known as dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA. DHEA is a precursor hormone for testosterone. It�s also an adrenal hormone, however, we will discuss this later in another article. If an individual�s DHEA is too low, it can indicate that the adrenal glands, which are in charge of the human body�s stress response, may not be functioning appropriately. DHEA levels should be between two to 400.
DHEA, or dehydroepiandrosterone, can be supplemented directly. Many doctors and functional medicine practitioners may also implement stress-relieving methods and techniques into your life, such as mindfulness meditation and yoga, to treat the source of the health issue. Herbal supplements can also help regulate DHEA as well as testosterone levels.
Now, we will discuss a fundamental hormone that is generally only considered to be important in female health, however, this hormone also plays an essential role in men; estrogen. Estrogen helps maintain a healthy sex function as it promotes your libido. It is also protective for the brain. In men�s health, estrogen is often demonized because it can cause health issues like breast development if estrogen levels are too high in men. But, normal estrogen levels are fundamental towards maintaining hormone balance as well as mental health.
Estrogen can increase in men with diabetes and obesity. Elevated insulin exchanges more testosterone into estrogen which may cause additional symptoms like fatigue. This can also create more problems alongside sexual dysfunction, including hair loss. So, if you have less than optimal testosterone levels, you should seek help from a doctor or functional medicine practitioner to find out why. And looking at your estrogen levels is a great place to start.
There are two types of estrogen tests which can help demonstrate your estradiol and estrone levels. These are important markers to look at because one can be elevated while the other can be in the normal range. The brain is the other place you can look at to determine your estrogen levels. Your brain produces hormones which can stimulate sex hormones, such as the follicle stimulating hormone, or FSH, and the luteinizing hormone, or LH, which helps produce testosterone and sperm within the testicles. If your LH is low, then your low testosterone levels may be caused by a brain health issue. However, it�s much more likely that sugar and starch consumption may be causing hormonal imbalances in your sex hormones.
Approximately 70 percent of the testosterone deficiencies in the United States are associated with insulin resistance due to diabetes and obesity. So, if your diet is filled with sugar and starch or if you have belly fat, you may already have decreased testosterone levels.
Hormones are secreted directly into the blood stream in order to control a variety of bodily functions. These can affect growth and development, mood, sexual function, reproduction, and metabolism. As a fundamental part of the endocrine system, hormone imbalances can have a tremendous effect on our overall health and wellness. Men’s hormones, by way of instance, can significantly impact a man’s quality of life. Research studies have demonstrated that decreased testosterone in men can cause a variety of health issues. Evaluating sex hormones in both men and women is essential towards overall health and wellness. Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C., C.C.S.T. Insight
Understanding Men’s Hormones
While we keep discussing the importance of lab tests, we also need to keep asking ourselves why these health issues are happening in the first place. The answers trace back to the basics of health and wellness. What are you eating? Do you participate in exercise or physical activities? Do you sleep properly? Do you have stress? What are your nutrient levels? Of course, several of these answers require more evaluations. That�s why I highly recommend you find a functional medicine doctor who can help get you on the right path towards optimal health and wellness. Most of the time, basic lifestyle modifications including diet, exercise, stress management, sleep and supplements can help. Other times you may need hormone replacement therapy.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal health issues as well as functional medicine topics and discussions. To further discuss the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at�915-850-0900�.
Curated by Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topic Discussion:�Acute Back Pain
Back pain�is one of the most prevalent causes of disability and missed days at work worldwide. Back pain attributes to the second most common reason for doctor office visits, outnumbered only by upper-respiratory infections. Approximately 80 percent of the population will experience back pain at least once throughout their life. The spine is a complex structure made up of bones, joints, ligaments, and muscles, among other soft tissues. Injuries and/or aggravated conditions, such as�herniated discs, can eventually lead to symptoms of back pain. Sports injuries or automobile accident injuries are often the most frequent cause of back pain, however, sometimes the simplest of movements can have painful results. Fortunately, alternative treatment options, such as chiropractic care, can help ease back pain through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, ultimately improving pain relief.
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