Fibromyalgia Archives - Page 8 of 9 - Hometown Family Wellness Center

May 11 2020

The Importance of Chiropractic – More than Pain Relief Explains Freehold Chiropractor

We currently live in a society that is run by medicine and surgery. This isn’t health care at all.. this is what is called sick care. Waiting til you have pain, symptoms, high blood pressure, digestive issues, chronically sick, cancer and other conditions then just treating it with medications that at best cover up the symptoms making you think you are healthy until the next symptoms appear. Many of these symptoms are actually just side effects of the medications you are taking. Rather than taking you off the medications causing side effects, they put you on another medication to cover up that symptom but causes many more side effects. This is a vicious cycle which is the downfall of our health and wellness in the Unite States with skyrocketing costs.

When most people hear or think about chiropractic, they think of pain relief. This is what the medical profession would like everybody to think, but it is the furthest thing from the facts. Yes, people go to the chiropractor and get relief of their back pain, their neck pain, headaches and migraines, Fibromyalgia, sciatica, numbness and tingling just to name a few. Research is constantly coming out showing the effectiveness of chiropractic with all of these conditions. You can view many of them on my blog by clicking: Hometown Family Wellness Center’s Blog.

More importantly is that if everybody would understand how the body works and what chiropractors actually do, YOU TOO would experience what true health care is all about.

Chiropractic was founded in 1895 and is based off the natural functioning of the body. We all know the nervous system controls all organs, systems, cells, tissues and functions of the body. Your brain sends messages to all of these areas and as long as the nerve impulses reach the intended destination, your overall health will be optimal. Because this system is so important, we were created with a protective boney spine that not only is hard, but we have multiple joints that allow us to move. Now, for a second, just imagine if the spine was just one long bone.. that wouldn’t work too well would it?

The only problem with our spine consisting of 24 moving vertebrae or bones is that with all the daily stresses we encounter, they can easily move out of place, putting pressure on the nerves. When this occurs, there is interference of the messages the brain is trying to send through the nerves.

You already probably have experienced numbness and tingling in your arms, hands, legs or feet and know it’s because there is pressure on the nerves in your neck or low back that go down the extremities. But what do you think would happen to the nerves that are between your shoulder blades that go to your heart and your lungs? Do you think you’d get numbness and tingling of the heart or lungs? What about the nerves in your mid back that help control the stomach, intestines and kidneys… would they start tingling? What if only 80% of the nerve message gets through the nerve that goes to the heart? Do you think the heart will work at 100%? of course not, it can only function at best 80%!!! Is this a healthy heart? Do you think your blood pressure can be normal with the heart only receiving 80% of the nerve impulses it’s supposed to be getting? What about all the other organs getting less than 100% of the nerve impulses? Is less than 100% going to bring you optimal health?

Another analogy that might make this more clear to you is thinking of your house. There is a circuit breaker that is the control center of the house and all the wires (nerves) leave it to go to every room in the house. Each room has multiple outlets that you plug different appliances, electronics, lights, etc. What happens if the circuit trips? Whatever is plugged into that outlet from that circuit is going to shut off or malfunction.

This is how basic your body works.. I know, I made it look very simple. Your body short circuits from the time you are born to current. We have stress that accumulates in the body, that cause the spinal segments to misalign, thereby putting pressure on the nerves. At birth the medical doctors are pulling on the baby, twisting his or her neck, misaligning the bones in the neck. As a child, how many times did you trip and fall, play fight with friends, have accidents playing sports. All the years sitting in chairs at school that are hard to sit with proper posture. Carrying heavy book bags, then purses or briefcases on one shoulder. Just walking and missing the curb can cause the bones to misalign. Ever have an auto accident? Just think of all the small traumas that you never considered can be doing damage to not only your body but your entire health.

It is so important that everybody gets their spines checked. We all experience stress that causes the bones to misalign on a daily basis that puts pressure on the nerves and decreases the overall function and health of our bodies. These misalignments are called subluxations by chiropractors. A chiropractor can evaluate anybody to detect and correct these subluxations, bringing about optimal nerve function and get your body as close to optimal health as possible.

Imagine everybody being more healthy with a drug-free, hands on approach with chiropractic. Research shows that chiropractic saves money in healthcare. Less hospital admissions, less surgeries and procedures, less prescription drugs.

Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of the growing trend of patients who want to be healthy naturally? Are you ready to be able to enjoy a normal active lifestyle, reduce your health care costs, improve the functioning of your body, reduce your need for harmful medications and surgeries?

Dr. Russell Brokstein, is the owner and chiropractor of Hometown Family Wellness Center in Freehold, NJ. He has been helping patients for over 13 years in Freehold and the surrounding towns of Marlboro, Manalapan, Howell, Colts Neck, Jackson, Morganville and other communities in Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Watch what other patients say about their care by clicking: Patient Reviews and Testimonials. Call our office at 732-780-0044 to get yourself back on the road to health and wellness!

May 11 2020

Chiropractor in Freehold NJ Review by Survivor of 9/11 for his Back Pain and Shoulder Pain

Two years ago I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to help a survivor of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11. I remember the day he came into the office with the assistance of his wife who also survived. He had been suffering for 8 years with low back pain and shoulder pain and was using a walker to help him get around. From getting out of the chair in our waiting room to getting to the exam room took a lot of effort and pain. Watch and listen to Edwin tell his story.

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to help such an amazing gentleman and family, allowing him to start enjoying his normal daily activities once again. This is what chiropractic is all about! Helping patients correct the underlying cause of their problems and being healthy naturally, not just cover up pain and symptoms with medications. This is why I love what I do as a chiropractor, helping patients like Edwin and every other patient I have had over the past 14 years.

If you are suffering with neck pain, back pain, headaches, fibromyalgia, sciatica, sports injuries, or looking to be optimally healthy without drugs and surgery, call our office and be a part of our success stories. For more information about chiropractor in Freehold NJ Dr. Russell Brokstein and Hometown Family Wellness Center go to our website: www.ChiropractorFreehold.com or call us at 732-780-0044.

May 11 2020

Chiropractor in Freehold NJ Shares more Dietary Recommendations for Fibromyalgia Sufferers

My name is Dr. Russell Brokstein, Freehold, NJ Chiropractor and owner of Hometown Family Wellness Center. I have been helping Fibromyalgia sufferers for the last 13 years and have written a home recommendation report available to all of my patients. I decided to share many of these recommendations on my blog posts as there are so many people suffering needlessly with Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

In our last post in the series on Fibromyalgia I started to discuss dietary recommendations. You can read the previous blog by clicking:

Diet Recommendations for Fibromyalgia Sufferers Shared by Freehold NJ Chiropractor

Today we are going to discuss antioxidants and the power it has in helping Fibromyalgia patients.

Many people know how important Vitamin C is, but they don’t know that it is also an antioxidant. An important diet strategy for lifetime health is having enough antioxidants in the body at all times. The function of antioxidants is to quench chemical fragments called free radicals that can destroy cells, tissues and organs in the body. The more antioxidants floating around in your bloodstream, the better your body can heal itself from bacterial or viral infections.

That’s why adding more vitamin C to your diet through vitamin C rich foods like grapefruit, oranges, kiwi fruit, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and other berries is a must. It’s easy to add them in – just plan a few healthy fruit snacks during the day in between meals.

A grapefruit satisfies hunger and prevents hunger cravings later in the day and is ideal as an afternoon snack. A cup of berries on top of yogurt or in kefir milk is an excellent way to get more vitamin C and also heal the intestines. You could even freeze the yogurt or kefir milk for 30 minutes before eating it and you’ll make yourself a nice semi-frozen dessert. It will be similar to what you find at the fast food restaurants, but loaded with nutrients.

You can use Vitamin C supplements too, but I recommend eating foods rich in natural Vit C. It’s a good idea to take more vitamin C than what is recommended. In college, I discovered that taking extra vitamin C after a workout prevented muscle soreness from happening. I tested this thoroughly and did 10 sets of calf exercises, up and down for several minutes, and with all that exercise, I should have been practically unable to walk the next day! This didn’t happen when I took high doses of Vitamin C! It stopped the lactic acid production.

I find Vitamin C is very helpful to those with fibromyalgia and the vitamin may even cut down on some of the soreness that is felt on a daily basis.

You can save money on Vitamin C supplementation: You can take vitamin C in the most economical way by buying one pound of ascorbic acid crystals for about $10. One teaspoon of the crystals is usually equal to about 4000 mg.

Don’t be afraid of taking vitamin C. The Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling who studied the vitamin took more than 20 grams a day and he lived a long healthy life. One way to take ascorbic acid is to mix 1/2 teaspoon into a little grapefruit or orange juice for breakfast and the same amount in juice before you go to bed at night. That will give you 4000 mg for the day, enough to boost your antioxidant levels, turn back the clock on signs of aging, and help you raise thyroid levels indirectly.

There are some precautions with Vitamin C. With vitamin C, it’s important to decide on a specific dosage and always take that amount. Of course, you can always temporarily raise the dosage for 3 to 7 days to recover from an illness. 2000 mg is a good dosage of vitamin C to start with; so is 4000 mg. I help my patients decide which one is better for them. It’s your job to take that amount every day, no matter what. No excuses!

Antioxidants help in so many ways. There are other vitamins that are antioxidants other than Vitamin C and Vitamin A.

Vitamin E is another good one, and research shows that this vitamin is important for allowing muscles and nerves to function with less oxygen. Vitamin E gives you endurance and stamina. It prevents the adrenal hormones from being oxidized, helps the eyes focus, and assists in preventing scar formation. Vitamin E also keeps us looking young.

In the past, vitamin E was used to normalize blood flow in menstruation, correcting menstrual rhythm. Higher doses of vitamin E can act as a natural flu vaccine, strengthening the cells from viruses and bacteria. It also eases headaches and extends life span. Racehorses given vitamin E won more races than those without the vitamin. Vitamin E also is helpful in cases of muscular dystrophy.

This antioxidant can be pretty important for those with fibromyalgia, too, because a lot of fibromyalgia patients have menstrual disorders, headaches, muscle aches and pains, and want to look and feel younger from more oxygen coursing through their arteries!

I like to add extra Vitamin E to my patients’ supplement plan, 400-800 IU mixed tocopherols or alpha – tocopherol, per day. The only exception is if you have high blood pressure, get 200 IU capsules of alpha or mixed tocopherols and take 200 IU for a week. The next week, take 200 IU twice daily. The following week increase to a total of 600 IU and the following week a total of 800 IU. Taking 800 IU all at once if you have blood pressure shocks the body by providing a lot of extra help for the blood vessels too soon so you have to build up slowly.

Oxygen boosting supplements also benefits Fibromyalgia patients. Germanium and coQ10 are two supplements that help oxygenate the system.

Germanium is a mineral that has an important role in oxygenating the system, bringing oxygen to the cells. I’ve found that some fibromyalgia patients swear by the effects of germanium supplements. It has cut their pain by about 50%, but all patients won’t find this to be true.

Germanium is different than geranium flowers! Germanium is an element not a flower. Most bottles at the health food store can be pricey, but check around online because you should be able to find a good price. You’re looking for tablets that are 100-150 mg germanium. Take one to five per day, then start cutting back to the level that still results in a reduction of pain and is increasing your energy levels and endurance. Instructions will say on the label of the bottle to not take it at night before bed, but in fibromyalgia patients, if you take it before bed, you may find it much easier to wake up in the morning!

100 to 300 mg CoQ10 supplements will increase the amount of energy that a person has during the day. I find this works quite well in a lot of patients who are so tired during the day.

CoQ10 is used in the body’s metabolic pathways in the very last step of the breakdown of carbohydrates for energy. Before the energy is “handed over” to the body’s cells, CoQ10 is responsible for the handout!

In our next posts to help Fibromyalgia sufferers we will talk about what to eat and what not to eat, exercise and sleep recommendations. By making many of these changes, along with chiropractic care and stess reduction therapy, our office has been helping Fibromyalgia patients from Freehold and neighboring towns of Marlboro, Manalapan, Howell, Colts Neck, Jackson, and Morganville in Monmouth County New Jersey.

If you or somebody you know suffers with fibromyalgia, share this and our other blogs with them and feel free to contact our office to find out if our 4 pronged approach to health will help you get back on the road to enjoying a normal active lifestyle without drugs or surgery.

May 11 2020

ACCOUNTABILITY… If you think BP should be held accountable for the Gulf, Who should be held accountable for YOUR health?

Hello. My name is Dr. Brokstein, and I am one of the leading chiropractors in Freehold, New Jersey. I was just thinking about how we are currently seeing one of the most tragic environmental disasters of all time. In the Gulf of Mexico oil is taking over the eco-systems and endangering wildlife, the economy, food, water and much more.

In the news we keep seeing how BP needs to be held accountable for what happened, as this dangerous substance (oil) is killing living organisms. Many are complaining BP didn’t have any checks in place, precautions taken, or emergency plans just in case.

I so agree that BP needs to be held accountable. But as I see all the people yelling that BP needs to be held accountable, I began to think, hmmm :

How is this different than what you do to your body every day and our current health care system?

Well it isn’t!!!

Let me explain….I think all people should be held accountable for their own health! Just like BP is responsible for this toxic soup in the Gulf, each person is doing a similar thing every day by pouring toxic and unhealthy substances in their body, and on their body. If you continue to choose to put toxins in your body…. you are endangering YOUR system! You are increasing your risks of disease and illness as you put more caffeine in your body, smoke cigarettes, drink sodas and other drinks or products filled with High Fructose Corn Syrup, diet drinks with aspartame and other artificial sweeteners, processed foods, genetically engineered foods, lotions, soaps & cosmetics filled with chemicals..the list goes on and on. To top all those toxins… Americans poison their bodies more as we consume 75% of the world’s medications causing serious side effects, yet Americans life expectancy ranks 42nd in the world. If we use the most drugs, than why is our health the worst of all developed nations? These drugs are just a mask of symptoms that in truth are just another toxin being put into your body.
Then to top it all off, Americans think they have the right to “poison” their body daily, causing health issues…but that our government should cover the costs. This is as absurd as thinking that the government should cover the costs of what BP was irresponsible with in this disaster.
If you are to be careless of not doing things to help maintain and prevent health issues, you should be held accountable and responsible for the health costs you incur!

Are you ready to be held accountable for your health?

Whether you have headaches or migraines, back pain, neck pain, stress and anxiety, disc problems, arthritis, sciatica, fibromyalgia, allergies, asthma, ear infections, digestive problems, or a weak immune system and you are ready to take control of your health and live a happier lifestyle, I can help. If you are striving to be optimally healthy and prevent future health issues, we have natural programs to assist you. If you live in Freehold or the neighboring towns of Marlboro, Howell, Manalapan, Colts Neck, Jackson or other neighboring towns in Monmouth County, schedule a complimentary consult at our office, Hometown Family Wellness Center located at 9 Broadway in Freehold, NJ. I will perform a thorough computerized state of the art nervous system exam, adrenal function test to see how your body is handling stress and measure your toxicity levels. I will show you how you can take accountability and turn your health around.

May 11 2020

Chiropractor in Freehold NJ Recommends Exercise if Suffering with Fibromyalgia

Exercise is not only important for healthy people but especially those with fibromyalgia. Exercise improves fitness and improves sleep patterns.

Whatever exercise you decide to do, follow this one important guideline: Do not overdo it! Overdoing exercise can create an exacerbation of your condition.

My name is Dr. Russell Brokstein, and I’ve been helping patients who suffer with Fibromyalgia for the past 13 years with chiropractic and other natural health and preventive measures. My office, Hometown Family Wellness Center, located in Freehold NJ has been helping fibromyalgia sufferers from Freehold, Marlboro, Manalapan, Howell, Colts neck, Morganville, Jackson and many other neighboring Monmouth and Ocean County NJ communities.

Too many people that have fibromyalgia lay around and think inactivity is important, but the total opposite is reality. It is so important to be active and start exercising!

If you are currently not exercising, the best way to start is by walking and stretching. Walk a few blocks the first day. Monitor your body and see how it handles the walk. If you aren’t feeling fatigued from that amount of exercise, increase the number of blocks you walk the next day. Then monitor your body again. How did you do? Tired after the increase? Then you’ll want to reduce the number of blocks you walk the next day. The important thing is to start off lightly and increase gradually.

It’s important to get some type of exercise every day. Some people use the pedometers to count the number of steps they take during the day. Others measure their exercise by how many minutes they walk or cycle. Others measure distance. Whatever method you use, stay true to that method to monitor your progress.

When it comes to stretching, simple stretches, such as the ones that are emphasized in yoga classes are wonderful. They increase flexibility, allow you to learn more about how your body is changing, and increase muscle tone. Your body ends up tighter and leaner.

You can easily find a hatha yoga book if you don’t want to go to yoga classes. Select five stretches, called yoga poses. When you do yoga, you don’t have to meditate or believe in Eastern philosophy.

Cardio exercise is ok, but I don’t want you to overdo it by going into kickboxing classes and other more advanced classes. I certainly don’t want to squash your motivation! Here’s what I find works best: Start changing your diet, add your supplements and get more sleep. When you do this, your body will tell you when it’s ready to exercise. Other than a 10-20 minute walk every day, let your body guide you as to what it wants to do and can do. Not following your intuition on this matter will set you back physically. So play it safe.

If you have been noticing a lot of positive improvements in how you feel, do a bigger workout than what you usually do. Go for it, but only increase by 5 minutes, not 20! It’s better to be safe than sorry!

Massage is fine, but avoid deep tissue work until you’re feeling much better. A massage is a workout but you aren’t the one doing the work! Still, there is a buildup in lactic acid, just as there is when you work out.

What will you do to dissipate this lactic acid quickly? The answer is take a little more vitamin C! Remember that the vitamin C eliminates the muscle fatigue. Also make sure you are properly hydrated by drinking plenty of water. I guide my patients to drink half your body weight in ounces. (So if you weigh 150 pounds, you would drink 75 ounces of water a day) Just remember if you drink any caffeine products, like coffee, you have to increase your water intake. Some research shows just one cup of coffee pulls out up to 4 to 8 glasses of water from the body. You can read further about supplement recommendations on our blog by clicking: Chiropractor in Freehold NJ Shares more Dietary Recommendations for Fibromyalgia Sufferers.

Massage improves blood circulation in the muscles, helps improve range of motion in your joints and increases the production of endorphins, which are the body’s painkillers.

Massage can help you fight the widespread pain and tenderness to light touch you feel with fibromyalgia. Like anything else, too much too soon can cause a setback. One massage a week is plenty.

When you have fibromyalgia, weight training should focus on light weights, only one or two sets of 10 repetitions, and only about 10 exercise equipment machines should be used. You will risk an exacerbation if you do more than that.

Running is similar to walking. Start out with a low distance, monitor your body for extra fatigue, and if you get fatigued, back off the distance. Do not overstress your system. As you become healthier, you will feel like exercising more.

Housework is like exercise too. Some household chores can be too much for a fibromyalgia patient, such as mopping and vacuuming extra large rooms. Delegate these chores until you are healthier.

Ask me any specific questions on exercise at your next appointment.

Many of my patients ask me: Dr. Russell, what do I do if I exercise and feel pain coming on quickly afterwards? You mentioned that vitamin C might help. Is there anything else that I can do?

It’s always good to have a plan! The Vitamin C as mentioned before can be helpful because it will decrease lactic acid accumulation in the muscles. Lactic acid is a waste product that is produced whenever we move our muscles.

The second thing you can do is put heat on the area. This will increase the circulation and help flush out the waste products.

The Fibromyalgia Clinic at Mayo recommends whirlpool therapy with the water temperature at a minimum of 95 degrees.

I hope you find these exercise recommendations helpful in getting you back to feeling normal and active, relieving your fibromyalgia symptoms and living a lifestyle of health and wellness.

If you would like a full Fibromyalgia special consultation, check out our special on our website: www.ChiropractorFreehold.com or give our office a call at 732-780-0044.

Are you ready to be held accountable for your health?

Connect With Us

Schedule an Appointment