Ear Infections and the Thermal Scan

"How can chiropractic care help with ear infections?" With the nervous system being the master controller of the body, the brain and body must be able to communicate free of interference otherwise health starts to degrade. "What...interference?" Most births (it is said about 80%) result in a C1 (upper most segment of the spine for this conversation) subluxation (not aligned correctly which results in a nerve interference.) For a child suffering from an ear infection this mean their thermal scan will more than likely look like this:

This is the Thermal Scan of a 3 year old suffering ear infections to both ears. He has been recommended for ear tubes after the antibiotics have been shown ineffective. You can see the red line coming off of C1. That indicates a severe nerve interference to the structures of the head and face (ears, eyes, sinuses, etc.). A couple weeks into care here and his left was cleared of any infection as indicated by the EENT specialist. We are reducing the interference allowing the body to work as it was designed to do. He has not been back to have the right checked yet. His next scan will likely show the red at C1 decreasing...hopefully down to white as children correct much quicker than adults. We will post that after we do that scan.

For June we are covering the charge on getting these scans done. Give us a call today to have your kids checked...671-7067. We are serious about keeping children off of antibiotics for ear infections.

The Wyatt "Pie Man" Leamon Story

A couple months ago I was down in California for a symposium when I was introduced to the story of a 9 month old boy named Wyatt.  Please take a few minutes to watch this video as it may save a life of a loved one.

His story had a huge impact on me partly, no doubt, because I became a father a year ago to a beautiful daughter. Like so many other parents, I could not imagine going through what Wyatt's parents went through as they watched his health decline until he died.

To honor Wyatt and his parents we are doing a children's promotion over starting on Tuesday, May 28th and running through the month of June. You can bring your child in and have them checked out and scanned at no charge. We are covering the cost. With each child scan for subluxations we will donate $10 dollars to the Wyatt Leamon Foundation. Our goal is to raise $500. http://wyattleamonfoundation.org/

By removing the subluxation chiropractic care has been shown to have a great impact on ear infections. We see it occur in our office. So if you have children and want to discuss this or get them checked call us at 671-7067 and get scheduled to have them checked out. I don't want what happened to Wyatt and his family to occur in my community. 

Sincerely,
Steve Noble, DC

Imagining The Impossible

I recently watched a movie about BMX Freestyle legend, Mat Hoffman. No one went higher in a half-pipe than Matt Hoffman. Nor did anyone go higher on a ramp. He's gone as high as 50 feet off the ground out of a ramp...landing back down on the same ramp. Fifty feet! Truly amazing. He was so far ahead of his time and is arguably the greatest innovator in the sport of Freestyle BMX.

Another person who went beyond what was thought possible was Steve Jobs. He was tough to work with for certain, but as difficult as people found him to work with, almost all who worked with him did something they thought was impossible. He asked them to reach beyond what they envisioned as being reasonable. He obsessed about every detail of every product Apple made...down to the power cord and the packaging. That obsession resulted in some truly amazing products that have changed the way we live. His reach is so far it boggles the mind how much he was able to achieve in a short life.

So why not dream big? Working with the D1 State Cross Country Champion I see a dreamer. I see someone who imagined himself being the State Champion and went out and became that person. He will no doubt do some amazing things in his life. He dreams bigger than most.

Have you ever imagined the impossible and had it happen? Few things in life can be more rewarding than pulling off something we thought was out of reach or impossible for us. In reality few things are truly out of reach or impossible.Our beliefs tend to be our biggest cheer leader in either limiting or propelling us. I have realized that dreaming past our limits creates the success. When I applied to university I chose a lesser school because I did not have the belief I could get into the school I really wanted. I, got in to the lesser school. I moved all my stuff out there and when I got there I did a reality check and knew that is not what I wanted. I rebooted and applied to the school I really wanted to go to. I got in. I was pumped. It was also a good lesson to aim higher....always. The real difference between those who are successful and those who are not is one's belief system.

Imagine the impossible. It's pretty cool!

Considering Minimalism

Last week I wrote how I had not even considered running in years but have now found my feet moving at what one may call a pace other than walking. I am up to 38 minutes as my longest run so far with no issue. Pretty remarkable to say the least. I did 3 laps around Cornwall park last Wednesday. I even had the intention of doing the Thanksgiving Day World Championships but that fell through when our daughter Coral decided to take a break from sleeping the night before from 10:30pm to 2:30am. Oh well, next year. I did manage to get out for a 30 minute run prior to the big feast on Thanksgiving day though with Rondelle (my super cool wife).

Now I have to start thinking about a new pair of shoes. When I bought my last pair there was little thought because they were purchased prior to Born To Run which completely changed the running shoe world. Amazing how one book did that. Had that book never been published I would have little to think about. Five years ago MINIMALIST was not the buzz word it is now in the running world. Is that word trademarked? Hmmmm...anyhow like every other consumer item the choices are plentiful and the MINIMALIST shoe basically has created an entirely new industry and, for now, a niche market. So do I choose a MINIMALIST shoe or do I go with a less trendy and hip shoe such as its counterpart the MAXimalist shoe which will offer up "protection" for my left foot but may be all wrong in light of the MINIMALIST movement? Decisions. To be continued...

Thank you!

What an awesome time of year. Reflecting back on what the year has brought and what I am thankful for is a way of keeping my batteries fully charged and moving forward. Of course, this year we had Coral arrive into our life. Being thankful is an understatement. Watching her grow and discover is such an amazing experience and I feel incredibly fortunate and thankful to have her in my life. The other person who continues to amaze is my wife, Rondelle. She is...well...awesome! Enough said.

This time of year also allows me to reflect back on the accomplishments of my patients which has been a phenomenal year to say the least. We have those running their first marathons. Amateurs signing professional contracts. A high school runner achieving one of his life long dreams of being a state champion. Other high school runners setting PRs and reaching new heights. A Master racer winning a series title who came in seeking care only to go faster on the bike by removing the nerve interference impeding his peak performance. Patients leaving their medications behind. Many who were simply not able to do the sports they love and are back up to speed and thriving and setting PRs. Many changing their eating habits and lifestyle to be more congruent with what the human DNA requires to perform at its peak. Finally, those who discovered the amazing benefits of chiropractic for the first time and share the story with others. Truly a great year. So this thank you goes out to all my patients who continually show why I do what I do and allow me to be a part of your success. You are truly inspiring. 

Was I really Born To Run?

Yesterday I did my second run in two days! This is significant, very significant. When I was 14 years old a team of podiatrists thought it would be a good idea to fuse a bone in my left foot because it was flat and I was having some pain. Naturally this caused my biomechanics to be more than little challenged for running. Then in 2001 I was hit by a car and had my right femur fractured into 4 pieces. Again, resulting in more biomechanical challenges. My thoughts on running after being hit by the car was that I would never be able to run again. I tried over the years but it was always...off. What changed? I focused on clearing my nervous system...removing the interference and correcting the damage that was causing my biomechanics to break down even further.

I had read Born To Run a couple of years ago and thoughts of running danced back into my conscience. (I am a lifelong cyclist focusing mostly on mountain biking.) Many of my patients are runners who came in with a nagging injury and I was able to get them up to speed and back to running so this furthered my desire. I decided to remove the barrier, put on my shoes and get the question answered. Could I run? Going up and down the stairs my leg had felt stronger. One week ago I laced of my 5 year old pair of barely used running shoes and went out for 10 minutes. No issue. I ran a few days laters for 15 minutes and still no issue. I ran again for 15 minutes and still no issue. This past weekend I did two 30 minute runs and felt great and had no issue. I can run. Wow! This is crazy. Next question, what is the limit?

When I tried to run a few years back it was my right knee that could not take it. But after getting my nervous system cleared my biomechanics are sound enough to be able 30 minutes of running. I will keep going longer. Run without limits one might say. Chuckanut 50 thoughts are now entering my conscience thought. :)

You can see my scans before (top one) and after. It is getting there and looking much cleaner hence my ability to run now. (Color is bad. Red is the most severe nerve interference.) The area that was red on the scan also is the area of the spine where the nerves go off to the heart. I used to have heart palpatations. As of late I have not been experiencing those either. More nerve supply to the heart does what? Healthier FUNCTION.

Noble Chiropractic Introduction Video and 'DOCTORED'

We have been working hard over the last couple of months to put this video together showcasing what we do and how we can improve one's health. This video was produced to get the word out about chiropractic and its benefits on health, athletic performance and just overall well being. Take a few minutes to watch it and then pass it along to those who you think also want to see improvements in their health. Thanks for reading and watching. Enjoy!

Also, on Friday, September 21st in New York the premiere of the much anticipated documentary Doctored is happening. This is truly an exciting event and one that should start the conversation regarding the current state of our health (sick) care system. Enjoy!

Coral, Chiropractic Care and Colic

Having Coral arrive on March 25th of this year has been nothing short of amazing. Her full name is Coral Marion Noble named after my wife's mother (Coral) and my mother (Marion). All the cliches about having a child have been inserted into my vocabulary that I use on a regular basis. My friends are no doubt bored of it so to them I apologize. But REALLY! She's AMAZING! 


Now let's get down to serious talk here as lives are at stake. Within an hour of being born Coral was given her first Chiropractic adjustment. I checked her neck and she was not able to rotate as well to the left. The top vertebrae was rotated to the right so with very gentle pressure (a pediatric adjustment) C1 rotated to the left and we saw immediate change in left rotation of her neck. Since that time she has been adjusted at least 20 times. She is fortunate. She will continue to be adjusted for years to come and she will grow with a nervous system that is free of interference allowing her and her body to thrive.
  
1 In the report referenced below a 1 month old had been diagnosed with colic by his medical doctor and was given medication to try and help them. He had both reflux and colic since birth and was not responding to medications. He was having 12-18 reflux episodes per day. Surprisingly, both parents and baby were not sleeping. After 6 pediatric chiropractic adjustments administered over 3 weeks he was down to 3 reflux episodes per day and was sleeping 6 1/2 hours per night. 

What happened? The nervous system was interfered with...chiropractors call it subluxated. The brain was not communicating with the body at 100%. Some of the nerve impulses from the brain were making it down to the body otherwise there would have been paralysis but not enough to give this child a chance to thrive. So reflux and colic resulted. Chances of developmental delays in this case are huge. Walking, talking, growing, learning, etc. Thriving. 

Chiropractic can absolutely resolve colic. This story is repeated daily in chiropractic offices around the world and in the science...well beyond the review that I have listed here. Yet, many more infants are suffering from colic and the implications to nerve interference on the future of these children can be devastating!! I and thousands of other chiropractors are screaming at the top of our lungs for this message to get out. Children are needlessly suffering and there is a safe and effective solution out there.

My plea to you is this: spread the message that there is help for infants suffering with colic (same for ear infections as well). Please have their parents take them go to a wellness chiropractor. If you don't have a recommendation for a wellness chiropractor in your area try the ICPA or CLAs to help locate one.

Thanks for reading and thank you for making a difference in a child's life.


1 Roulette D, Monroe C: Improvement of Infant Colic and Reflux Following Chiropractic Care: A Case Report & Selective Review of the Literature. J. Pediatric Maternal & Family Health - April 16, 2012. 
 

 

STRESS In 3 Dimensions

STRESS, STRESS, STRESS. Prior to my work as a Chiropractor I had only heard the word STRESS in association with school, work, relationships, finances, etc. All the psychological ones. I knew that STRESS kills! I also knew that STRESS will cause hair to fall out and jaws to clench. We'd heard the stories of STRESSed-out folks suddenly having a heart attack and dying...STRESS kills! The subject seemed to be focused on psychological STRESS only. At least for most conversations.

But, like many things, of course, there is more to the STRESS story than meets the eye. Make absolutely no mistake, STRESS kills! Where the story expands is there are two more STRESSors that need to be included into the conversation: Physical and Biochemical STRESS.

Physical STRESS includes but no limited to: birth trauma (80% of births result in some form of birth trauma to the spine), sports injuries, car accidents, computer programming, desk work, yard work, etc.

Biochemical STRESS included but not limited to: sodas, alcohol, smoking, processed foods, any 'food' that is not whole, sugar, etc. Simply because it has calories does not make it a food. If food could be defined as something that will help the body thrive, like gazelle meat for a tiger and broccoli for the human then we would have to call most of what is in a grocery store...not FOOD...or more so, biochemical STRESSors.

In reality then, STRESS is three dimensional. Physical, Biochemical and Psychological. As these STRESSors accumulate the nervous system becomes negatively affected. Since the nervous controls and coordinates everything we feel and experience our life experience starts to diminish due to illness and STRESS on the nervous system. STRESS on the nervous system ultimately creates disorder in the body as seen in many of the symptoms and disease people are experiencing today. Again, it is this disorder that will lead to disease. Remove the STRESSors that are negatively affecting the nervous system AND get your spine checked (see Subluxation Station for a description of what is used at Noble Chiropractic to determine how much STRESS your nervous system is experiencing) and cleared by a wellness chiropractor and the life experience becomes greatly enhanced. Continue on the same path and I am sad to say STRESS does indeed kill. 

Thanks for reading!

A REAL Food Concept Rather Than Manufactured Food For The Athlete

During the High Cascade 100 last year I reached a point when I could no longer take in another swig of the Hammer product that was in my bottle or in my Hammer flask (gel). I was done with all of it. I just wanted REAL food. "Back in the day" (I can say that since I started racing mountain bikes in the mid 80s) our fuel was real food. Bananas and oranges were the most used at aid stations along with cookies, PBJs the size of a Tapas and water. We did long races too. Typically 2-4 hours were the finishing times. Granted the food was not as convenient as today's products but, again, it was real and did not leaving me wanting to hurl with the next suck on the bottle or bite of an energy bar.

My solution to this great dilemma: make my own energy drink using real food. Can Hammer product be BETTER than REAL food in terms of bringing me to a higher level of performance? Logic, of course, dictates a big 'NO' to that question. But, like many, I bought into the rhetoric or, more so, the convenience about performance fuels. Until now.

A few months back we bought a Vitamix blender. For those not familiar with the Vitamix it is a high powered commercial blender that you might think when first turning it to HIGH your lights will suddenly dim in your house. It is that powerful. My wife has always questioned manufactured endurance fuels and suggested I just make a smoothie. Novel ideal. So with the Vitamix sitting on the counter and ready to go I started to experiment. And much to my delight and not really surprised the smoothies work fantastic. After all I am giving my body fuel that we are designed to eat....for the most part...the oats and honey are somewhat of a deviation from that idea but they are...REAL. And they taste good...I get to design the taste around what I am feeling like on a particular day.

An idea to try (this is what I have been doing for 2 bottles):
1 cup blue berries
1 or 2 bananas
1 heaping spoon of honey
1 heaping spoon of almond butter (that I make in the Vitamix after roasting the almonds)
1 cup whole oats (Vitamix will leave you wondering where the oats went...no grittiness whatsoever)
water as much as needed to thin it out and have it fill 2 bottles
Blend on HIGH for 30-60 seconds and it will be smooth.

I have also thrown a carrot in there, kale and chard (a leaf or two...excellent source of vitamins and minerals) as well. One could also get some caffeine in there is wanted with the toss of a few beans (the Vitamix will surely blend it but I am not sure about less powerful blenders) or a shot of espresso. The possibilities are endless and are only limited by one's imagination.

It really has been amazing and kept me going strong. No question about it. My stomach never feels that nasty feeling like after using those manufactured fuels on long rides. 

Should you try it out shoot me a note and let me know if it worked out. Also, if you have a tasty recipe that you would be willing to share let me know so I an try it out and post it.

Thanks for reading!

Biomechanical Breakdown Is Really A Health Issue

The knee starts to hurt. Rest is doing little to help it other than not aggravating it. There is no explanation for the knee pain other than when running down or up or for X amount of time is the usual statement I hear. Often the diagnosis is something along the lines of, "your quad (VMO in many cases) is not firing or your glut is not firing so you need to do these exercises to get them firing again and this will allow your patella to track straight again" or "your IT band is too tight so you need to stretch it out." I am pro stretching and strengthening. But the bigger question that should always be asked is this. Why are, for example, the muscles of the right leg "firing" while the left is not? Serious question here. Why? Or why is one IT band "tight" while the other side functions without issue? The answer is this. A muscle will not "fire" when there is a lack of nerve supply to that muscle. Lack of nerve supply results in the muscle not doing its job which allows the biomechanics to break down thus causing hip, knee, foot, shoulder, etc. issues. Once the biomechanics breakdown, soft tissue will need to adapt and this will often cause scar tissue, hence the need for the some soft tissue work. Lack of nerve supply will also result in a loss of strength, hence the need to possibly do some strengthening of those muscles supporting the area in question.

To the bigger issue. Barring a blow to the knee or any other area in question that causes a tissue injury like a torn meniscus, there really is just one reason why biomechanics breakdown and that is nerve interference (aka SUBLUXATIONS) in the spine. It's that simple. Biomechanical breakdown is PRECEDED by subluxations. Subluxations come first. No doubt about it. The brain needs to connect to the body through the spinal cord and out the nerves. If the bones in the spine are not moving correctly or at all (a subluxation) that causes the obstruction of nerve impulses from the brain to the body. It is an absolute. You can stretch, strengthen, rub, electric stimulation, ultrasound, put orthotics under your feet (a woefully over prescribed device if I have ever seen one) or do whatever but until the subluxation is cleared you will have poor biomechanics. Those modalities may allow for some tissue healing thus allowing it to "feel better" but once those modalities are stopped and the running or whatever returns to full speed the odds of it coming back are very high.

On a larger level though there is a real problem that is creeping up. Biomechanical breakdown is really an indicator of decreasing health...those nerves that come off the spinal cord and go through the vertebrae to your leg also feed to the organs. The organs and muscles share the same outlet off the spinal cord into the body through the vertebrae. There is no separation. If your leg is not receiving proper amount of nerve supply neither are your organs. I hope one will recognize that as not being a good thing. That is why one will often see a decrease in health when the knee is bothering them or more so for the athlete a decrease in performance and recovery leading up to the knee injury. Now not only are the muscles of the leg not getting enough nerve supply to give proper biomechanics but also your organs are not getting proper nerve supply causing an absolute decrease to your health. Since the nervous system controls and coordinates ALL functions of the body health will naturally suffer without proper nerve supply. So a hurt knee caused by biomechanical breakdown is a health issue. Whoa!!!

So when a patient shows up with the chief complaint of knee pain (or IT Band, hip pain, plantar fasciitis, etc.) the two things I can be relatively sure of: 1) they have subluxations and 2) therefore their health is being affected negatively. Correcting the subluxations through chiropractic adjustments will not only start the correction of the biomechanics and get one back to a lifestyle of running but also and for many more importantly return one's health and prevent health problems in the future.

Thanks for reading!

How Do You Know If You Are Heathy?

My initial schooling in chiropractic led me to believe that chiropractic was about alleviating back or neck pain. However, if we look at what chiropractic care can actually do for the body pain is only the tip of the iceberg and not the main objective. Pain is an indicator at best and an indicator at worst. An absence of symptoms such as pain does not mean one is healthy. Pain, if you are lucky can get you to someone who can tell you something is wrong on a larger scale...like having a heart attack. (Before reading any more check out this video of Dr. Mancini on television show The Doctor.)

Jim Fixx, the 240 lb., 2-pack a day smoker turned runner who published The Complete Book To Running in 1977. At age 35 he took up running and living smoke free. He died of a heart attack at age 52 after his daily run. Was he healthy the day before the heart attack? I will say, 'no.' Did he have pain telling him he was not healthy? I don't know. It seems many heart attack victims do not know it is coming.

Another example is for those who have suffered the dreadful "gall bladder attack." My understanding is those who have had one do indeed feel as if they are under attack. If one is to base health on being pain free then it would be fair to say that removing a gall bladder and therefore removing the pain that person is in a better state of health than prior to the gall bladder removal. And that would, of course, be absurd as I think most would agree.  

So what is health then? How does one know if they are healthy? Often the answer is we don't. Again, an absence of symptoms is not an indicator of health...not even close. The central nervous system is comprised of sensory (pain, touch, heat), motor (think moving muscles) and autonomic (everything that works automatically without you having to think...organs, glands, blood vessels) fibers. Sensory is about 10% of the central nervous system while motor and autonomic comprise the other 90%...the part you can't necessarily FEEL.

Back to Jim Fixx, he smoked and was 240 lbs. when we stopped and turned to a life of running. However, he still had a heart attack at age 52. Another is Lance Armstrong who was one of the fittest athletes in the world when he was diagnosed with cancer shortly after pulling out of the 1996 Tour de France. Exercise and diet are not all there is to health. So what else? And the answer is your nervous system. Stress from physical (accidents, poor workstation posture, etc.), biochemical (smoking, alcohol, sugar, non organic veggies and fruits, sodas, etc.) and mental/emotional stress (racing the Tour, marriage, finances, etc.) will create subluxation patterns in your spine creating nerve interference. Once those patterns are created they will not change with diet and exercise alone...again Jim Fixx. Detecting those patterns and correcting them using chiropractic adjustments are the key to returning to health along with stopping the stresses that caused them in the first place. Once that is done we see "miracles" as digestion, bowel issues, low energy issues, etc. start to subside and clear. The body is returning to its self-healing, self-regulating ways as the nerve interferences are reduce and corrected. And with this folks have a happier, healthier life. It is awesome to watch unfold. 

We use the Space Certified Insight Subluxation Station (just like on this video of Dr. Mancini on The Doctor!) to detect the interference patterns so there is no guessing with your health. Jim Fixx's nervous system likely had a great deal of subluxations since he was a 2 pack a day smoker prior. The biochemical stress from smoking 2 packs a day is...high.And, again those patterns simply do not correct on their own and the nerve interference disappear. Once the circuit breaker has been tripped nothing we do will reset the circuit until we go to the box and flip the switch to turn the power back on. Same goes for us. How long do you want your organs to be living on less than ideal nerve supply? Don't wait for pain to be your indicator. Get your spine checked today. If it is clear, great! If not, you may want to have some care to get those subluxations corrected.

Thanks for reading.

The case of a snoring 10 week old infant

This is why my passion is so high for chiropractic. Last week a patient brought her 10 week old infant in for a checkup. He had been snoring since birth...albeit very cute, not normal. His mom also noted he was gassy and bloating after eating, and that she was "not able to get a lot done because he always wants to be held"....often a sign of discomfort. It was also noted that his head was tilted to the left which was very noticeable while in his car seat.

Examination of the spine revealed...subluxations (often a person's first trauma is done at birth resulting in subluxations) in his spine most noted in the upper neck and low back. We proceeded to adjust these areas (infant adjustments are very light touch). After 2 treatments his mom noted his snoring subsided (yep, gone!), he was not gassy and bloated like he had been, his desire to be held much of the time was "definitely" less...meaning he was likely to be more comfortable, and his head tilt to the left was no longer present. Wow! How cool is that?! A 3rd visit indicated a barely detectable subluxation in the upper neck. Infant subluxations will often clear very fast and now I will not see him for another month.

Two adjustments cleared out his snoring, head tilt, and the need to be constantly held. The gas and bloating are subsiding as the body has to do a bit of healing. Super positive changes. Very cool to say the least! Fast changes when one gets the nervous operating interference free. Simply stated developing without nerve interference is key to attaining optimum health as all functions in the body are controlled and coordinated by the nervous system. 

This is why I got into the profession!

Development Of A Child's Nervous System

When you were just an embryo at about 3 weeks after conception your nervous system started to form. This was your first system and all others came after that because the nervous system is your foundation. And your nervous system, consisting of your brain, spinal cord, and nerves controls and coordinates ALL functions of your body. So let's say you are suddenly roused out of your relaxed environment of your mother's womb with what feels like a squeezing or pushing sensation. "What is happening to me? Why am I being forced out of this comfortable, chill place? And where am I going? And what's the rush?" After what seems like hours of being pushed and squeezed you finally go through an opening where these enormous hands (or if you are really unlucky...forceps) greet you and start pulling. As the doctors hands pulls from your head sometimes twisting to get those shoulders to come out you just try to hang on and suddenly...your new life begins. "Whoa!" you might say to yourself. "That was a bit violent don't you think? My neck hurts!"

The reality of the birth process resulting in subluxations (see previous blog for definition) is very likely in much of the population. Subluxations at birth can cause lifelong issues. Remember the nervous system controls and coordinates ALL functions of the body. Growing and developing with subluxations can sometimes have devastating effects leaving a parent to wonder why their child is developing slowly.

"90% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain is generated by movement of the spine. This would be analogous to a windmill generating electricity." Whoa! Do you get that? So movement of the spine is needed to stimulate and get nutrition to the brain! That is huge! If your spinal segments are not moving (subluxated) you are not generating the electricity at the capacity you are capable of producing.  By the way, a really smart person figured this out and won the Nobel Prize for it in 1981.

So what do you think will happen to an infant who is subluxated from birth and has areas of his or her spine not moving? For one, their brain may not develop in an optimum state which may lead to speech delays and learning disability. What else? In one of my patients who is 8 years old they came in with the inability to balance on one leg along with learning issues. After just 4 adjustments to his upper neck he was able to start balancing. After another 4 adjustments he was able to balance on one leg in a steady fashion. We removed the subluxation and his body's nervous system started operate more optimally. Both his brain's balance centers are getting the stimulation and nutrition they need to operate and the muscles that are needed to be strong for balance are also receiving that stimulation. He's elated with the results so far. Other issues that may occur are ear infections, colic, gas, burping, bloating, constipation, etc.

Do your child a favor and get their spine checked by a chiropractor today. If there is nothing there you only spent an hour of your time. Should there be a subluxation you can either head off a potential problem or allow the healing process to begin on a known current issue. Infants and children respond fast to care. For all of my patients I screen their children for free. Detecting and correcting subluxations when they are young can have a very significant impact on there quality of life.

Thanks for reading.
Steve Noble, DC

The POWER Of The Chiropractic Adjustment

Imagine going through all of your teen age years with acne covering your entire face. Those kids did not fair too well in the dating circles back when I was in high school. Imagine having acne that actually caused your face to swell and have pain associated with it. And now imagine looking at yourself daily in the mirror, seeing acne where some are the size of a quarter staring back at you as you apply another hopeful treatment to rid your face of those red mounds filled with puss. This was a 19 year old patient who came into my clinic about four months ago.

Three months after having come in his acne was all but gone. I'm a chiropractor, so naturally I did not treat his acne. What happened though?

Contrary to what we are often told and have learned your body will actually self-heal and self-regulate. Your body is actually really smart, much smarter than most will give it credit. The nervous system is the first system to start development when we are just an embryo. This is because the nervous system controls and coordinates ALL functions of your body: thoughts, movements, digestion, bowel movements, etc. To build a house we do not start with the refrigerator we start with a foundation (your nervous system) and go up from there and if that crumbles so goes the house (your body). The brain, spinal cord and nerves make up your nervous system. If your nervous system shuts off so goes your body...i.e. quadriplegic. For your body to function at 100% optimum health it must be free of nerve interference (subluxation). Nerve interference is similar to static on a cell phone. "What? I can't hear you?" If the signal becomes too weak the line goes dead. If the nerve impulse slated for the organ or muscle is not at 100% the organ or muscle also will not be operating at 100%. This is what was happening to my patient with acne. They had nerve interference (subluxation) (unbeknownst to them because unless there is pain associated with the subluxation we will not always know it is there...which is the case probably 97% of the time) causing an organ to not operate as it was intended. The result was a toxicity of sorts that was most likely responsible for their acne.

As the brain sends signals down the spinal cord to its final destination of an organ or a muscle it must pass through the spinal column (vertebra). If there is a section not moving or moving in a manner not designed to do a nerve interference will be result. Meaning the nerve flow is interrupted or compromised creating static in the line. The magic for my patient was this...once we got the area of the spine associated with the intestines (ileocecal valve or ICV to be exact) moving and doing so in a proper way their acne started to clear. Once we restored movement, the static was no longer there and their ICV started to work again. After three months not only was their acne cleared by 95%, but their confidence and outlook on life had improved a great deal as you might imagine it would.

We did not treat the acne but we did remove the nerve interference that was inhibiting nerve flow to their ICV which was creating the toxicity. All the creams, pills, food elimination, supplements they tried could not do what adjusting their spine did...remove the nerve interference or subluxation and allow the body to self-heal and work as it was designed. Now imagine how their life would be had they been adjusted and had proper chiropractic care as a child. Yep. Seemingly no acne. Probably would have been a different high school experience.

Thanks for reading.
Steve Noble, DC, CCSP

Next blog: what CAUSES the subluxation of nerve interference.

Aging Athletes...Have No Fear

Ned Overend prior to winning another National Championship

Remember the movie that Sylvester Stallone put out in 2006 named Rocky Balboa? If you grew up in the 70s and 80s and you were not living off the grid in some far off place you remember all the Rocky movies and were probably more than a little stunned, shocked, "serious Stallone?", when he released "Rocky Balboa" 30 years after he first took to the ring. A "mid-fifties" boxer stepping back into the ring against the heavyweight champ...seems a bit far-fetched. But maybe not that far-fetched according to this study/survey which found that living a sedentary lifestyle was the biggest reason for physical decline in athletic performance not aging as many of us would (like?) to believe.

So could Rocky Balboa really have been able to compete in the boxing ring against a much younger opponent? Many will remember George Foreman reclaiming the Heavyweight boxing title 20 years later at the age of 45 against a 26 year old opponent. At 42 years old Baseball Pitcher Nolan Ryan found himself on the American League All-Star Team and play in the major leagues until he was 46 years old. Ned Overend, mountain biking legend, in 2010 at the age of 55 won the US National Single Speed Championships....that is a mountain bike with only one gear. Finally, there is Ed Whitlock who at the age of 72 ran a sub 3 hour marathon; 2:59:10. Amazing! And then at 74 ran a 2:58:40...lowering his time. Perhaps Rocky could have reentered the boxing ring against a much younger opponent and not get beaten senseless. 

Aging does appear to favor the endurance athlete as opposed to the power athlete. The study mentioned above which focused on marathon runners, reports there is no significant age-related decline in performance before age of 55 and after that only moderate decline. They also reported 25% of the 65-69 year old runners were faster than 50% of the 20 to 54 year olds. Nice! This study showed there is a faster decline in strength. It does not give age breakdowns other than to say the age group was between 30s and 90s and that a decline is seen faster in weight lifting as opposed to endurance and sprinting events.

Those athlete in their 40s and 50s can hopefully rejoice at the prospect of being able to remain competitive with the younger generation for years to come. Decline is natural but that decline is something that we have more control over than we tend to think possible. This is really exciting! The human body adapts and want to exercise and move. The "Godfather of fitness" Jack Lalanne is living proof of what an aging body can do. This man at the age of 96 stills shows up at the gym for 30 minutes of cardiovascular work and 90 minutes of lifting weights. In his 60s he did feats of strength and endurance that surely anyone can appreciate such as swimming across open water pulling boats while handcuffed. And I would bet at 96 he can still outdo a great deal of the population in number of pull ups and push ups.

Thanks for reading.

A scar is a scar right?

"He with the most scars wins." Scar tissue distorts the body. But what does that mean, "distorts the body?" And should we be concerned? In short, yes. No one can achieve top performance with scars on the body, or rather scar tissue in the body. The physical appearance of a scar is one thing what is occurring underneath is altogether different. It pushes, pulls, distort cells and the extracellular matrix (myofascia...that thin layer you clean off the chicken breast.) thereby distorting the body and biomechanics. Donald Ingber, Phd, MD studies what this all means and writes about it in this paper titled  Mechanobiology and Diseases of Mechanotransduction (a mouthful I know but do not shut down the browser yet). Here, the winner with the most scars is not the winner. 

"The global shape of the cell determines it's behavior (e.g.growth versus differentiation (from simple to complex) or apoptosis (cell death)), and these effects are mediated through tension dependent changes in cytoskeletal (cell skeleton) structure and mechanics." Whew! OK, what does this mean? "The global shape of the cell determines its behavior..." means a cell that has changed shape by means of something such as scar tissue which pushes, pulls or crowds its way in will alter the function of the cell. Not good! Scar tissue from surgical procedures or traumas will therefore alter the function of cells. A scar becomes a stress point because the scarred tissue is not able to move fluidly thus causing a pull onto surrounding tissue, or cells. What happens next is loss of range of motion, altered biomechanics and altered cell function. Right sided ACL surgery? I consistently see tighter shoulders and hips. Hysterectomy, c-section and appendectomy scars...yikes...often low back pain, tight shoulders, tight hips, etc. The scar tissue is not able to move as freely as healthy tissue which puts stress on surrounding tissue and distorts at the cellular level. Distortion of the tissue or cells is what will lead to disease often local to the area of injury

Communication is also altered at the cellular level. Remember that myofascia I mentioned above? Well that is a matrix (Alfred Pischinger's research explains this nicely) where communication signals are relayed to call for an action such as neurological function, hormone control, and circulation. Restoring this communication is paramount toward relieving that distortion...it is like a black hole otherwise. Once communication is restored and the adhesions removed the body's response can be nothing short of shocking. I have seen major gains (up to 40 degrees of range of motion) in hip movement from the release of both knee surgery scars and scars such as those from c-sections. Strength in muscle that have been tight and weak will suddenly start to fire and feel relaxed and strong again. This unwinding of the body allows for less distortion and better biomechanics. It also allows for better cellular function and less chance for disease. These are very profound changes and it is the reason I ALWAYS impress the need to release scars and do so within the first 2 visits for my new patients. It is a fundamental piece of restoring optimum health.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me. Thanks for reading.

Ibuprofen Is Good Right?

Ibuprofen? Good? Not quite. Naturally there are "side effects" to pharmaceutical drugs such as Ibuprofen or NSAIDs (Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug). Side effects are unintended consequences of an action where the good of the intention is typically offset by the bad of the side effect...sometimes there are good side effects but NSAIDs or Ibuprofen do not fall into this category.

Three populations typically use NSAIDs. The first is the patient in chronic pain typically from arthritis where they take say 800 mg.day. The second is a patient who got injured today. They will load up over the next few days trying to decrease that pain and reduce swelling. The third user is the athlete who often times is using them prophylactically to prevent soreness afterward running or whatever they participate in.

Inflammation occurs through a cascade of events in the body and NSAIDs such as Ibuprofen inhibit a step in the cascading process preventing or reducing inflammation. The side effects of Ibuprofen us are rather nasty in my humble opinion. In this abstract the author ponders whether "The ever-emerging anti-inflammatories. Have there been any real advances?" and in the first statement says "Gastrointestinal (GI) (the stomach and intestines) Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) from the NSAIDs are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in arthritic patients taking these drugs." Not a good side I am certain we can all agree. Another known side effect are stomach ulcers for the "long term user." NSAIDs block a pathway that produces the protective mucous lining of the stomach causing ulcers (HOLES!) in long term users. Again, when the stomach goes south so goes the body. The need to protect the GI tract cannot be overstated. Damage to the GI tract will result in a compromised nutrient absorption. And this, of course, leads to stress onto the entire body.

Cardiovascular health can also be compromised from NSAID use. The author of this abstract cautions against the use of NSAIDS for patients with musculoskeletal (muscle and joint pain) pain for patients with known cardiovascular and gastrointestinal issues. This abstract gives warning against those with gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, liver disease, platelet issue, asthma, and children overdose to name some of them. The NSAID creates stress on the body and for those bodies already under stress it can be quite bad.

Finally, I found these two studies which were quite telling of Ibuprofen use in the athletic population. These studies were done on athletes who ran the Western State 100 Mile Endurance Run. The first study concluded that athletes who used Ibuprofen prophylactically did not experience a decrease in post race muscle soreness versus those who did not but did see "elevated indicators of endotoxemia and inflammation." Yikes! What is "endotoxemia?" It is bacteria present in the blood and the danger is stated in the following statement: "The presence of endotoxins in the blood, which, if derived from gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria, may cause hemorrhages, necrosis of the kidneys, and shock." Again, we can all agree this is not a good outcome I am certain. Here is the kicker though the user group saw an INCREASE in inflammation! The very thing they were trying to prevent was increased! Ibuprofen CAUSED inflammation in this population. Furthermore this study saw an increase in oxidative stress among the Ibuprofen users. Oxidative stress means an increase in free radicals...free radical stress causes all sorts of damage not the least premature aging. Hence the anti-oxidant craze.

So what to do when one is inflamed? Fortunately, there are great alternatives to this stomach destroying product. Proteolytic enzymes work great, actually promote healing and I can't find anything on Pubmed where they damage the stomach...or any side effects. This study shows the power output of a muscle to be higher post exercise by those treated with Bromelaine, a proteolytic enzyme, than those left untreated. Herbs such as Curcumin, Capsaicin (essentially cayenne pepper), and Tumeric also play powerful roles in anti inflammation and protection of the GI tract....not too mention cancer preventive!

Using supplements with an array of these properties will often deliver a very powerful anti-inflammatory effect with no side effects. Any healthy store that sells quality supplements...not Costco, Safeway, etc....will have supplements of this nature. If you have any questions feel free to drop me a line. Thanks for reading!

Splenda: A Poor Sugar Substitute

I was inspired to write this blog because I was in the grocery store today and found a book about cooking with Splenda, the ARTIFICIAL sweetener. Serious?! I went to Amazon.com and...wow, there are a lot of cookbooks out there promoting Splenda as a great alternative to sugar (super low calories yet still sweet), some by supposed "health experts" (I make it a rule to never trust "the experts.") Splenda, also known as sucralose (well this is actually the main component of Splenda), is found in diet drinks, ice cream, protein bars, vitamins, toothpaste to name ONLY a few. Look at your gum, over-the-counter drugs (those sweetened so swallowing them tastes a bit better), salad dressings and on the restaurant tables in those little yellow packets where real sugar used to sit.

So what is the big deal right? Well...here is the big deal. One can suffer from any number of conditions such as sluggishness, fatigue, legs feeling like lead weights, mood swings, severe cramps in females, joint pain, painful bowel movements, bloating, dizziness, confusion, depression, headaches, and nausea as well as reproductive and immune problems.* In this study using rats "the numbers of total anaerobes, bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, Bacteroides, clostridia, and total aerobic bacteria were significantly decreased" in the gut as examined through a stool analysis. Meaning the pH had gone up (away from acidic or toward a more basic state) and the gut flora was now out of balance or decreased. The problem with a higher pH is not only breaking down of food but also the gut losing the ability to break down microbes (i.e. bad bacteria) compromising the immune system. And as I stated back on the post Why Use Probiotics? altered flora result in poor absorption of minerals. This malabsorption can then lead to any of the conditions listed above. The body loses its ability to detox and obviously a high toxicity will not serve your body well. We can all agree with that. Pretty big deal right?

If you are experiencing these conditions and use Splenda (or are not experiencing and using Splenda) STOP all Splenda products immediately, meaning do not eat them...hopefully it's obvious I would suggest that...and "Flush Your System." For two month use probiotics, mulit vitamin and MINERALS (I suggest multi-vitamin/mineral daily for your entire life), and undenatured whey to rebuild and detox your body.

You can find studies out there where they will report Splenda to be a safe product. Here is what I tell my patients though, "Serious?! You want to put artificial food into your one and only body? Keep it simple and eat nothing processed." Inevitably these artificial foods turn out to have damaging effects. And now don't even get me started on High Fructose Corn Syrup or Aspartame. Thanks for reading and if you have any questions call the office, send me an email or get a hold of us on Facebook.


*Splenda: Is it Safe of Not? by Janet Starr Hull, phD., Pickle Press, 2005
*FIRST, "A Magazine For Women On The Go" Article titled "Tired All The Time?" June 26, 2006 pp 25-26

The Stick - Inflammation, Adhesion, Toxin Remover

Each new patient (athlete and non athlete alike) gets The Stick after the first visit. Why? When used daily it removes pockets of inflammation, mild adhesions, and toxins often resulting in a rapid decrease in pain. Inflammation distorts the cell by crowding its way and decreasing the room for proper cell function. And proper cell function is EVERYTHING with regards to the body. Cells that are not functioning correctly cause stress on the body, leading to a less than optimized state for (athletic) performance and recovery. Mild adhesions also distort cells by tensioning the myofascia. In effect the adhesion is pinning down the myofascia not allowing it to move thus distorting cell and altering cell function. Removal of toxins that have accumulated in the myofascia allow the bodies electrical signals to move more efficiently resulting in better performance and recovery. As The Stick rolls over the muscles an electric charge is created breaking the bonds between the toxins and myofascia. The toxins will move into the lymphatic system and go out of the body as waste. 

Using The Stick correctly is key and very simple. The Stick is to be used lightly (i.e. light pressure...not bending The Stick) on relaxed muscle that are not contracted. Do every evening and after workouts on the muscles below the waste at a minimum. Do 20 sweeps each on the lateral (IT band side), anterior (quads), medial (adductor side), and posterior (hamstrings) thigh, and the posterior (calf muscles) and anterior lower leg. After doing both legs stand up and do the gluteus muscles (buttocks). Feel free to do upper body as well.

For athletic training I recommend 2-3 times per day: morning, evening and after training. The recovery advantages are huge. Good luck and feel free to ask me any questions.