Recently, we sent out our first newsletter. It’s important to make sure our information is valuable and interesting. Please let us know if you want to read about anything specific to health. We are excited to provide quality tips and advise.

On that note, we thought it was REALLY important to include the TREATMENT of Sinusitis (an article in our newsletter). Read on>>>>

Treatment

The medical approach to sinusitis typically consists of antibiotics and occasionally antiinflammatories. Both of these approaches often don’t address the underlying cause and can lead to recurrent infections.

A more complete approach is to do the following:

* Investigate your allergies: Bacterial and allergic sinusitis often goes hand in hand1 and reducing your allergic tendencies by looking at your diet is a great approach.
* Nasal washes: A salt water solution that can include antibacterial herbs like goldenseal, eyebright, yarrow and others can be helpful. A neti pot is a specialized device made just for nasal washing and are available a most local health food stores.
* Argyrol: This combination of silver and protein has been used for over 100 years as a powerful antimicrobial. A few drops are placed in the nose daily.

What We Can Do For You

Nasal Specifics is a treatment that Dr. Cyndi uses to help treat sinusitis. The treatment consists of inserting a balloon into the nasal cavity and inflating the balloon to adjust the nasal bones. The adjustment of the nasal bones helps to flush and drain congestion. This treatment has been shown to be effective2 and many patients have reported that this technique has helped them greatly.

Dr. Cyndi also provides nutritional counseling and supplements to treat sinusitis.
Further Resources

If you are looking to further your education on sinus infections, try these great books:

* Bruce, Debra Fulghum, et al. The Sinus Cure: 7 Steps to Relieve Sinusitis and Other Ear, Nose, and Throat Conditions. Westminster, MD: Ballantine Books, 2001.
* Hirsch, Alan R. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Sinusitis: Relieve Your Symptoms and Identify the Source of Your Pain. Boston, MA: Warner Books, 2004.
* Robert S Ivker. Sinus Survival: The Holistic Medical Treatment for Allergies, Colds, and Sinusitis. New York: Penguin Books, 2000.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few months, you are well aware that there is a potentially dangerous flu making its way around the world. President Obama has stepped up the United State’s response by recently declaring the swine (or H1N1) flu pandemic as a national emergency. Most people aren’t sure whether to be frightened by all the media and rush to get vaccine, or if there is some other preventative measures should take to fight the flu.

The first step you can to ward of the flu is to ensure you are getting enough proper nutrients. Here are the recommendations for your daily values based on a 2,000 calorie diet:

• Protein: 5.5 ounces.
• Fruit: 2 cups.
• Vegetables: 2.5 cups.
• Grains:  6 ounces.
• Fat: 6 teaspoons.

Make sure you especially focus on getting enough fruits and vegetables because they are the foods most packed full of flu-fighting vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

While foods are probably not the only thing you want to do to prevent or fight the flu, many of the following foods have been used for centuries to battle a wide range of infections and recent scientific studies have supported their immune-boosting and virus-stopping abilities.

• Garlic: Garlic has long been sought after as a powerful herbal remedy. Not only does garlic have super immune boosting powers (and can ward off vampires), but new research has shown that it is effective against a variety of viruses, including the Coxsackie virus, herpes, and flu virus.1

• Ginger: Most people don’t give much thought to ginger except around the fall season when it makes its way into our breads, cookies, and pies. Ginger, though, is a powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and it has been shown to work with the immune system to battle the flu virus.2 Ginger has also been shown to help calm an upset stomach, which many people with the H1N1 flu are experiencing.

• Green Tea: Green tea is quickly becoming the most researched herbal medicine on the planet. Research has shown green tea to be a strong antioxidant, a possible cancer fighter, good for the heart, and even beneficial for inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. Green tea has also been shown to inhibit the spread of viruses.3

• Elderberry: The humble elderberry plant seems more like a dessert or a wine than a flu-fighting powerhouse. Long used as a syrup to fight colds, elderberry has been shown in a recent test-tube study to block the replication of the H1N1 virus potentially stopping the spread of the virus.4

The flu should be taken seriously; as of this writing, more than 1,000 people in the United States have died from the infection. You should take a comprehensive approach to fighting the flu including adding in these great flu-fighting foods to your diet.

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1. Tsai Y, Cole LL, Davis LE, Lockwood SJ, Simmons V, Wild GC. Antiviral Properties of Garlic: In vitro Effects on Influenza B, Herpes Simplex and Coxsackie Viruses. Planta Med. 1985 Oct;51(5):460-1. PMID: 17342616
2. Imanishi N, Andoh T, Mantani N, Sakai S, Terasawa K, Shimada Y, Sato M, Katada Y, Ueda K, Ochiai H. Macrophage-mediated inhibitory effect of Zingiber officinale Rosc, a traditional oriental herbal medicine, on the growth of influenza A/Aichi/2/68 virus. Am J Chin Med. 2006;34(1):157-69. PMID: 16437748
3. Kuzuhara, Takashi; Iwai, Yuma; Takahashi, Hironobu; Hatakeyama, Dai; Echigo, Noriko. Green tea catechins inhibit the endonuclease activity of influenza A virus RNA polymerase. PLoS Currents Influenza. 2009 Oct 13:RRN1052.
4. Roschek B Jr, Fink RC, McMichael MD, Li D, Alberte RS. Elderberry flavonoids bind to and prevent H1N1 infection in vitro. Phytochemistry. 2009 Jul;70(10):1255-61. Epub 2009 Aug 12. PMID: 19682714

The numbers are astounding, take a look:

* In clinical studies, lifestyle changes have resulted in almost a sixty percent reduction in the number of people with diabetes.1
* The American Cancer Society estimates that about one third (or more) of cancer deaths are related to lifestyle factors.2
* The American Heart Association also touts lifestyle changes as a major factor for preventing heart disease.3

But what exactly are these lifestyle changes we hear so much about and which give you the most bang for your buck? After all, you don’t want to stop drinking wine or eating ice cream unless you really have to.
Lifestyle Factors that Count

If you are reading this, then you are probably interested in health and know enough to not smoke or drink too much alcohol. You also probably know to not spend too much time in the sun (when you can find it) allowing your skin to burn. So what else should you focus on to improve your health?

Here are the three most important health changes you can make.

* Nutrition: You might be confused by all the dietary recommendations around how much protein or fat to eat. To make you dietary choices simple, turn your focus from those foods to fruits and vegetables. Every step you take to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet will increase your health. Make sure that every meal you eat contains at least one (if not a few) of these nutritional power plants.
* Weight: Every pound you add over your ideal body mass index places you at higher risks for heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers and more. The importance of your weight cannot be overemphasized. Find a program for weight loss that works for you.
* Exercise: Your body was designed to be used and when you don’t use it, your health suffers. Exercise impacts many aspects of our health including cardiovascular health, mental health (reducing anxiety and depression), improving blood sugar control, and helping us feel our best. Choose an exercise program that is both fun and something you can commit to.

These three lifestyle changes can go a long way to reducing your risk factors for common illnesses. The beauty of these three is that they work together. Eating more fruits and vegetables and exercising will help you to lose weight. Losing weight will help your exercise routine. And, when you feel better, you’ll want to eat better.

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) is inviting you to help celebrate National Chiropractic Month throughout the month of October.

More people are choosing chiropractic doctors for their non-surgical, drug-free, and holistic treatment options. Around eight percent of the population now counts their chiropractor as one of their primary care givers.1 No longer are people turning to chiropractors just for back and neck pain, injuries, or repetitive strains, they are also finding relief for their arthritis, high blood pressure, weight issues and support for their children’s health.

Chiropractors are the largest, most regulated, and most recognized of the complementary alternative medicine professions in the United States. Chiropractic doctors are largest doctorate health care profession following medical doctors and dentists.
National Chiropractic Month

This year’s National Chiropractic Month focuses on headaches and how chiropractic care can help you.

Almost everyone suffers from a headache from time to time and these types of headaches are usually not a problem. It is when a headache becomes chronic or you suffer from headaches more than once or twice a month that they become of concern.

Chiropractors have a variety of approaches available for treating headaches. Scientific studies have shown that the chiropractic approach works and is effective for treating a variety of headaches including tension headaches2 and migraine.3

If you have a question about what you can do to reduce or eliminate your headaches, stop in or call our office for more information.

Need a Portland Chiropractor? Give us a call!

Need a Portland Chiropractor? Give us a call!

Need a Portland Chiropractor? Give us a call!

Need a Portland Chiropractor? Give us a call today!

Need help with your health? Give this Portland Chiropractor a call!

Do you need a Portland Chiropractor for your own chiropractic “miracle,” give us a call.