Dr. Wayne Coghlan: Chiropractor

Lumber Disc Injury, Herniated Disc, Bulging Disc, Low Back Pain, Sciatica, Spinal Traction Therapy Lumbar disc injuries range from strained tissue, to a bulging disc, to complete herniation.    The pain and disability is usually proportional to the degree of injury and complications, especially if a bulging or herniated disc is pressing on a nerve.  At times, a disc can herniate with minimal pain or disability. It is usually the tissues around the disc that cause the most pain. Similarly, there can be much pain with even a relatively minor disc injury.   A lumbar disc injury, as with a broken ankle or sprained knee, needs to be respected lest it becomes a chronic if not permanent disability. The problem is because we can't actually see the injured tissue and many people just try to tough their way through the injury ... or fail to recognize what they are doing to aggravate it.... and make it worse. An indication that a disc is pressing on a nerve is typically pain radia

Successful Weight Loss, Emotional Eating, Yo-Yo Dieting  Successful Weight Loss I recall a study released some 25 years ago describing that people who attend weight management systems such as Herbal Life, and NutriSystem, and even Weight Watchers, and Calorie Counters … or take special meal replacement formulas and/or follow strict fasting and cleansing programs… etc… WILL lose weight ... provided they follow the program. It’s mathematical and COMES DOWN TO THE LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS ….   WHEN YOU HAVE FEWER CALORIES IN THAN ARE USED YOU WILL HAVE A NET WEIGHT LOSS.   … and no.. I’m not yelling… just trying to emphasize the point. The problem with such methods is that eventually the person will go off the weight management program. And as they go off the program, in the order 95% of the people of regain or exceed the weight they lost. And it seems reasonable that such programs diet systems and calorie counting can be helpful in giving one a head start… yet it still

Winter Back Ache I’ve often commented that if it wasn’t for the cold, the dark, the blowing snow, black ice on the roads, the slush … winter would be just about perfect! Snowstorms trigger hazardous driving conditions, but they can also be treacherous for people who go no further than their driveways. Shoveling can result in aches and pains, broken limbs and sometimes even death. An Etobicoke man in his early 70s collapsed while shoveling his driveway Thursday morning, police said. The man suffered a heart attack and died shortly after. Earlier that morning, a 75-year-old woman fainted while shoveling the winter’s first dumping of snow from her driveway. Paramedics rushed the woman, who was in critical condition, to hospital. Shoveling-related medical emergencies spike in patients after a major storm. Shoveling is very strenuous and many people who go out shoveling lack conditioning. Often people don’t pace themselves, they just go, go, go. Especially when they are tr

Can changing your diet ease rheumatoid arthritis pain? Credit to LESLIE BECK , The Globe and Mail, Sep. 10 2012 . The question: I have rheumatoid arthritis. Should I avoid certain foods? And can certain foods reduce my symptoms? The answer: Yes, certain types of diets, foods and supplements may help ease the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis as well as the side of effects of certain medications used to treat the autoimmune disease. The diet and nutrition strategies I am about to describe, however, should not be considered a replacement for any medication you might be taking. You might have heard that people with arthritis should avoid nightshade vegetables such as bell peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and potatoes. These foods were once thought to aggravate joint pain. However, not one study has proven this connection and it’s no longer believed to be true. Studies have found, however, that adopting a Mediterranean-style diet – one that’s rich in fruits, vegetables,

Here is an interesting article from Discover Magazine on tick bites and bizarre allergies. It’s not that ticks bites and allergies are chiropractic issues per se, however, I see lot’s of patients who have issues that befuddle even the best intentioned MD. And often, such people will ask me for my insight and direction. And, considering that ticks are now being found in the south Georgian Bay region – including Dear Ticks … the beasties known to transmit Lyme’s Disease … which has been positively identified in a number of local patients – this article may be timely. (A weak tic-toc pun).  Also... for those interested in keeping up with emerging developments in an eclectic range of science topics, I highly recommend the very readable and enjoyable science magazine, Discover.   Best regards, Dr. Wayne Coghlan How a Tick Bite Made Me Allergic to Meat A disastrous allergic reaction sends the author looking for immunological answers. by Helen Chappell.  Published online Aug

    Plant & Rake, Without the Ache (PPT)             Plant & Rake, Without the Ache (PPT)   

      Plant & Rake, Without the Ache (PPT)      

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=when-dieting-not-all-calo When Dieting, Not All Calories Are Created Equal A low-glycemic-index diet is better than a low-fat or Atkins diet in terms of improving metabolism and reducing the risk of various chronic diseases A calorie is a calorie, goes the popular mantra. But now doctors and dieticians might have to eat those words. Researchers have found that not all calories are created equal and that the types of calories you eat, particularly after losing weight, can have a profound effect on how efficiently your body burns calories and keeps off unwanted pounds. The ideal diet that promotes a fast metabolism — that is, your body's ability to quickly burn off calories — as well as promotes long-term health in terms of disease-free organs appears to be (surprise!) fresh vegetables and whole grains or any foods that reduce the surge of blood sugar after a meal. These foods are said to have a low glycemic inde

 There was a crooked man, who walked a crooked mile....  then his wife took him to see a chiropractor.. and he felt much better after that...

Nutritional Counselling - Weight loss ... It's not that complex! http://www.theglobeandmail. com/life/health-and-fitness/ health/to-beat-obesity-the- answer-flows-free-from-the- tap/article4250327/ To beat obesity, the answer flows free from the tap, ANDRÉ PICAR,The Globe and Mail,Last updated Tuesday, Jun. 12 2012, 8:59 AM EDT The human body is a pretty complex machine but it has simple fuel needs: Enough calories to replace those we burn, enough water to replenish what we expel (principally through sweat and urine) and some basic micronutrients that we will invariably consume if we eat a variety of foods. So, for time immemorial, we have harvested fruits, vegetables and grains and hunted or raised livestock for meat. For drink there was water, precious water, and, in some parts of the world, milk. But, damn, we like to complicate things. Consider what we drink. Instead of water, pure and simple, we have an endless variety of drink, many bolstered wi

In this post, I’ll discuss two things I enjoy very much: helping you become and stay healthier through chiropractic, and gardening. More specifically, let me introduce you to STRAW BALE GARDENING.   Who should plant a Straw Bale Garden?   Can't do heavy lifting?   If you are less capable or less interested in doing the heavy work of traditional gardening, such as tilling the soil, constant weeding, unending insect battles and persistent disease spraying, Straw Bale Gardening virtually eliminates these challenges. Can't bend over?   If you have a physical limitation or handicap that restricts you from getting down on the ground, you will appreciate the easier access to the higher surface of a straw bale, which eliminates the bending to plant and harvest.  Poor soil or limited space?   If your have a low soil quality, or if you have limited space that you can devote to a garden, you will love Straw Bale Gardening with its low cost, flexibility in garden pla

Standing straight when one leg is shorter is the equivalent of standing sideways on a hill. The person cannot help but lean to the shorter side. The spine may compensate by tilting the upper body in the opposite direction. This produces a "scoliosis" or sideways deviation of the spine. It also concentrates gravitational and kinetic stress on the area where the spine transitions to the sacrum and pelvis... the lumbo-sacral junction....  NOT GOOD. Often a person will try to compensate for a short leg by perching on short leg, usually with the longer leg bent at the knee and turned out...effectively shortening the long leg. NOT GOOD. Rather than balancing the pelvis, fatigue and strain usually causes the pelvis to over compensate. In either case, the distortion of the spine unevenly loads the joints and muscles, and promotes faster wear and tear, and injury. If you, or someone you care about, is persistently perching on one leg, or complaining of back pain, this need

Permanent Address: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=10-tips-nutrition-claims 10 Tips for Deciphering Diet and Nutrition Claims [Excerpt] A new book by Robert J. Davis explains away some of the confusion around conventional diet wisdom and wild health claims By Robert J. Davis  | Friday, December 30, 2011 | 2   The Best Diet?: It might be no "diet" at all. Epidemiologist and journalist Robert J. Davis explores the science behind nutritional claims to offer up 10 easy rules for a healthful diet in his new book, Coffee Is Good for You . Image: Perigee/Penguin/Isabella Fasciano Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from the new book Coffee Is Good for You: From Vitamin C and Organic Foods to Low-Carb and Detox Diets, the Truth About Diet and Nut

Source: http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/01320/aaaabmi-chart-for-_1320321a.jpg  The body mass index is an advance from the older and less meaningful height and weight charts. And is the current tool used by health and insurance agencies to assess body weight and degree of obesity. However, it does not allow for individual variation of muscle mass and bone structure.  Click on image for better view http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/01323/lf-jockology-obesi_1323094a.jpg Although body mass index (BMI) has been adopted by WHO as an international measure of obesity, it lacks a theoretical basis, and empirical evidence suggests it is not valid for all populations.1 The body mass index (BMI) does not accurately represent the amount of [body] fat,"2 The BMI has been around since the 1840s, but it has a number of weaknesses. Firstly, it doesn't give a real estimate of percentage body fat. Secondly, the BMI can be quite diffe

This article from Scientific American reports that people who eat red meat have much higher probability of developing diabetes. There is some indication that red meat may actually have a causative factor, perhaps due to an overload of iron in the diet, or animal source fats. However, the most significant factor is that generally, people who eat more red meat, also eat more dairy, eggs, starchy, and processed foods, and are less likely to be physically active. Essentially, higher consumption of red meat is associated with a lifestyle that promotes excessive eating and weight gain. Excessive body weight is the leading indicator of age related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and some cancers.   Generally, people who actively choose to avoid red meat are more attentive and discerning toward their overall nutrition and lifestyle, and make healthier choices. As I have promoted in other posts to this blog, progress toward a diet that is less dependent on meat,