The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that “3,300 children aged 5 to 14 were treated in emergency rooms for injuries related to book bags”. Dr. Russell Brokstein, DC discusses how to prevent your child/children from injuring their spines with their backpacks. Repetitive postural strains your child experiences today can have a dramatic effect on the health of their spine for many years to come. Early arthritis, disc degeneration, as well as pain and dysfunction can come as a result of what your kids do now.
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.
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.
Cervicogenic Headache and Chiropractic Freehold NJ
Many people suffer with pain symptoms in the form of headaches. Recent studies show that chiropractic is highly successful in alleviating many 
types of headaches. Most headaches originate in the neck and therefore are called Cervicogenic headaches. They often start with some kind of neck injury due to trauma or an auto collision.
80 patients with chronic cervicogenic headaches took part in this study. They received either chiropractic adjustments or light massage.
The patients that received the chiropractic care improved substantially more than those that receive massage. The chiropractic patients not only have better scores on pain and disability tests, they also experienced a 50% reduction in overall symptoms. They also had a 33% reduction in medication usage by the end of the study.
The reason why chiropractic has such high success in helping patients suffering with headaches is in the goal of correcting the cause. Chiropractic restores the normal flexibility and function of the spine to relieve cervicogenic head pain. By aligning the spine, chiropractors remove the pressure from the nerves causing the pain. If you suffer from headaches, chiropractic can be a safe and effective way to treat pain and improve your health.
We have been helping patients suffering with headaches for 14 years. Patients in Freehold and the surrounding towns of Marlboro, Manalapan, Howell, Colts Neck, Jackson, Morganville and other communities in Monmouth and Ocean county are coming to our office on 9 Broadway in Freehold, NJ to obtain pain relief and optimal health and wellness without drugs or surgery. If you would like to find out more information go to our website at www.chiropractorfreehold.com.
Haas M, Spegman A, Peterson D, Aickin M, Vavrek D. Dose response and efficacy of spinal manipulation for chronic cervicogenic headache: a pilot randomized controlled trial. The Spine Journal 2010; 10: 117-128.
Freehold NJ Chiropractor Provides Natural Treatment for Pregnant Women Suffering with Migraines
Many women suffer with headaches during pregnancy, especially during the first and third trimesters. Earlier on in the pregnancy, the headaches are more 
associated with hormonal changes, but as the pregnancy continues the headaches are more associated with poor posture. During pregnancy, the spine can become misaligned due to an increase in weight, poor posture and pelvic changes. A misaligned spine is one of the most common causes of migraines.
A recent case study suggests that chiropractic care can significantly relieve migraines in pregnant women, naturally without medications. This is important as a woman that is pregnant should not be taking medications not only due to the side effects on herself, but they can significantly affect the health of the baby.
The woman in the study had been suffering with migraines since childhood. During her pregnancy, the symptoms worsened in intensity and frequency. After trying various conventional and alternative therapies with no success, the woman decided to see a chiropractor and agreed to participate in the study.
The patient was treated with a combination of chiropractic adjustments, massage, trigger point therapy, and lifestyle changes. After ONLY one week of treatment, her migraines became significantly less severe in intensity and frequency, and her reliance on pain medication decreased dramatically.
This study suggests that chiropractic combined with other natural therapies can provide safe, effective treatment for migraines, without the adverse effects of drugs.
Not only is chiropractic safe for pregnancy headache relief, but there are many other benefits of chiropractic for both mother and baby. Misalignments of the pelvis during pregnancy can reduce the amount of room available for the developing baby and prohibit the baby from getting into the best “presenting” birth position therefore making the delivery of the baby more difficult. Chiropractic care has also been known to create a healthier environment for pregnancy, reduces the amount of nauseousness, provides relief with neck pain and lower back pain, reduces the amount of time in labor and delivery and reduces the likelihood of c-sections.
Many women are thankful to have been under chiropractic care during and after their pregnancies and all women should try chiropractic to benefit their pregnancies too! If you are pregnant or know somebody who is pregnant, share this information with them.
Dr. Russell Brokstein is a chiropractor in Freehold, NJ at his office Hometown Family Wellness Center. He has been helping patients for over 13 years benefit with chiropractic and other natural health and wellness techniques so you can enjoy a health lifestyle without drugs and surgery. For more information go to our website by clicking here: www.ChiropractorFreehold.com
To get natural treatment for migraines, call our office today to schedule a consultation.
Reference
Alcantara, Joel and Martine Cossette. “Intractable migraine headaches during pregnancy under chiropractic care.” Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2009; 15: 192-7.