PAIN CONDITIONS
Dr. Barkins is a Doctor of Chiropractic and uses various methods to help patients achieve health such as: Applied Kinesiology, Arthro-stim, Cranial-sacral therapy, and 'no-needle' acupuncture. She also uses Physio-therapy such as cold laser, ultrasound, and myofascial release. She has 22 years experience helping men, women,and children with pain conditions. Click here for chiropractic article
Arthro-Stim
The Arthro-stim instrument is a state-of-the-art method for chiropractic treatment that does not cause stress on the joints and is extremely gentle. This method is used for adjusting all parts of the body with fantastic results for pain and muscle spasm.
Chiropractic adjustments help stimulate the body to heal itself. Traditionally, chiropractors have used single high-energy thrusting and pulling movements to adjust areas of the body. The new technology instrument adjustment- Arthrostim- is gentle, effective and produces precise movements which stimulate 'neural receptors' in an area. These receptors, in turn, produce nerve impulses which relay crucial information to the brain. The brain depends on this 'neurological feedback stream' to update its awareness about an area. Once the brain evaluates the changes prompted by the adjustment, it issues self-correcting commands to the muscular system, and other systems, to bring about healing changes.
The Benefits
The ArthroStim™ Instrument permits your doctor to maintain the effectiveness of your adjustment while using minimal amount of force. Individuals that may especially benefit from the use of the ArthroStim™ Instrument include: infants and young children, individuals in acute pain, elderly, sensitive patients and those with hypermobile joints.
Cold Laser
Cold laser is a term used for a new technology designed to help rejuvenate cells anywhere in the body. Cold laser devices emit low level red light that helps with tissue healing, pain, inflammation, and stimulates the cell's energy system. Healing is essentially a cellular process and this type of light energy initiates a cascade of healing reactions that can be used for a wide variety of health conditions. Cold lasers are sometimes used for acupuncture, with the laser stimulating the body's acupressure points, rather than using needles. This regimen appeals to those who want acupuncture, but who fear the pain of needles.
What Causes Pain?
Anytime that you have pain, there is inflammation around the joint, nerve tissue or other body tissue. Pain and inflammation can be caused by physical trauma (new or old injuries), micro trauma (repetitive stress on joints), chemical and nutrient imbalances, allergies, digestive disorders, stress, hormonal imbalance, toxins and inappropriate diet and lifestyle. These conditions respond well to manual treatment and natural remedies.
WHAT TRIGGERS THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE?
Referred Pain
Many times the underlying cause of a pain condition is not directly related to the immediate area of pain. Pain can be referred from organs and tissues to a distant location. Nerve irritation can cause a reoccurring pain cycle that can broken with specific natural treatment methods.
Nerve Pain
Pain can be caused by direct irritation to a spinal nerve. The irritated nerve can cause pain and inflammation in muscles, glands and tissues. As long as the nerve is irritated, the pain will continue. Gentle chiropractic treatment is effective in treating the irritated nerves and helps to relieve pain, sometimes instantly.
Menopause
Inflammatory responses (inflammation with pain) are common with the imbalance of hormones in menopause. Joint pain, sciatica, back pain, fibromyalgia, shoulder pain, and chronic pain conditions may be aggravated. Each individual may experience different severities of symptoms.
Diet
The food that you eat can be one of the primary triggers of the inflammatory response causing pain in joints, muscles, and the spine. This may explain why vegetarian and allergy modified diets have been helpful for some people in improving pain and inflammation, especially those with arthritis.
Gastrointestinal Tract
Fifty to seventy percent of the immune system is found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. If there is a digestive disorder (bacteria, yeast, parasites, maldigestion), the immune function in the GI tract can be hampered. This can start a chain reaction: 1. the digestive disorder creates an immune weakness making the GI tract susceptible to infections, 2. due to immune weakness the body forms antigens (allergic reactors) against foods, 3. allergies can increase and can cause an autoimmune inflammatory process to begin. Rheumatoid arthritis is an example of an inflammatory disease that has been related to digestive disorders and a hyper-reactive autoimmune response. Less severe inflammation and pain can also be caused by GI tract disorders.
Adrenal Hormone System
The adrenal system is another important regulator of the inflammatory response. The adrenal glands are located on top of the kidneys. They produce hormones for the body’s “fight or flight response”. They also regulate the immune system, hormonal system, muscle integrity, sleep, connective tissue, and inflammatory response, among other things. When the adrenal glands are weak, damaged tissue from an injury heals more slowly, less completely, and inflammation will persist longer.
The adrenals will not be able to respond properly to help decrease pain and inflammation in your joints and body by producing cortisol, when they are weakened from prolonged physical or emotional stress. Other factors that contribute to adrenal weakness are sugar imbalance, menopause, pregnancy, lack of rest, and inappropriate diet and/or exercise.
The adrenals can be strengthened with the proper supplemental program and appropriate lifestyle changes. Pain and inflammation can also be alleviated with specific herbs and homeopathics, as well as manual treatment for the nerves and joints.
(see “DIGESTIVE HEALTH”, “ IMMUNITY/FATIGUE”, “TREATMENT METHODS” button for more information).
