Chiropractic and Ear Infection: What We Offer Makes a Difference

Meet My Starfish!

In my last blog, I used the pictures and video of my time in Haiti and the Dominican Republic to express the richness and desperation of the experience. Today I would like to introduce you to a village I am going to be talking a lot about in the future and that is Phaeton, Haiti.  We were introduced to Phaeton by our guide and friend Elmond Jean.

In future posts, I will start to describe in detail; just suffice it to say that this is a town in need. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the 50 children that need our help. These children have nothing or close to nothing. They have no resources to attend school (all schools are private in Haiti which means the government does not fund them) so no money, no school. The problem goes much deeper. We found out these children eat 2-3 meals per week, IF THEY ARE LUCKY. When I say lucky it means if Elmond is able to tell their story to people he guides and they donate money for food.

The kicker is that of these 50 kids, 15 of them are flat out orphans: no mom, no dad, living on the streets. There is nowhere for them to go and with all the resources going to the earthquake zone, this small town is in desperation.  To make a long story short, we (Dr. Janice Hughes, Dr. Martha Nessler and myself) have committed to build an orphanage/school/health center to serve this area.

We are making it up as we go along. That being said, the pictures below are of the initial structure. Not too shabby considering we have not even been home a month. We have just begun!

Someone said to me in my office, "There must be 100's of villages like this in Haiti and thousands around the world."  I know his thinking was that how can we make a dent and that feeling of powerlessness that comes with that.  Well, I met those children and they are not going to starve on my watch! I feel like this is a great time to post about the starfish.

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.  He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean."  "I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.  To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"  At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"

This is the intro to a story about the power of the Chiropractor!   I love Chiropractic and that has allowed me to find a passion that I never knew existed. Let the excitement begin....

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485.  www.communitychiropractic.net

Feed Our Souls-Give the Children a Chance for Change in Haiti

I just returned from my third visit to the island of Hispaniola and my first visit to Haiti. My previous trips I focused my service work in the Dominican Republic, in the area surrounding Puerta Plata. This trip took us first into Haiti to visit what will be the home of our orphanage in the town of Phaeton.

I wanted to write an account of our time in Haiti and then changed my mind.  Review the video below. Look at the pictures. Both beauty and devastation all wrapped up together. These children in Phaeton are starving. Well, not on my watch. We (Drs. Janice Hughes, Martha Nessler and myself) have committed to feeding, educating and building an orphanage in this town. Don't worry, you can help. I'll keep you informed on how! Dr. Steph

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485.  www.communitychiropractic.net

Cell Phone Kids YIKES!!

A Kaiser Family Foundation study (Generation M2) found 8-18 year-old spend in excess 7.5 hrs/day using some form of mobile device.  Also, 7th - 12th graders report spending an average of 1:35 a day sending or receiving texts. (Time spent texting is not counted as media use in this study.)

As a result, these youngsters are sure to develop a condition known as Forward Head Posture (FHP), which can cause neck pain, headache, shoulder pain, and/or numbness and tingling into the upper extremity. Please talk to your youngster about this. This is not a GOOD THING!!!!!!!!!!  Avoid the problem from the start and look to Chiropractic care to help insure these pediatric spines (spine still has growth plates until 22 years old) are balanced as kids continue to grow.

Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds is the third in a series of large-scale, nationally representative surveys by the Foundation about young people's media use.  It includes data from all three waves of the study (1999, 2004, and 2009), and is among the largest and most comprehensive publicly available sources of information about media use among American youth.  Below is a graph to summarize:



5 Tips For The Correction Of Forward Head Posture:

Forward head posture is a very common imbalance seen today from excessive cell phone use and from bad posture. Correction of forward head posture takes awareness, resolution of underlying causes, and repetition to make a lasting impact. These five tips will help you get faster results.

1. Focus on lifting your chest, not just tucking your head back.

In most cases, forward head posture is accompanied by rounded shoulders and a slouched upper back posture. In this scenario, simply retracting your head will not correct the problem. In fact, this can cause a jamming of the lower cervical vertebra. A simple instruction to help you lift you chest is to imagine you have a helium balloon attached to each of your chest muscles, and they are lifting them toward the ceiling. Many times, just lifting the chest causes a natural retraction of forward head posture.

2. Perform "chin retractions".

A great way to re-program yourself to get rid of forward head posture is to perform 10 chin retractions every hour on the hour throughout the day. If you do this throughout an 8 hour workday, along with lifting your chest, you will have done 80 postural corrections! This will help you re-pattern your posture easily and effectively.

3. Ensure you have proper ergonomics in your phone use, car, at work, and at home.

Make sure your computer height is optimal at work and home. Another great trick to do in your car is to move your rear view mirror just an inch higher. This will remind you to sit straight while driving.  NEVER, NEVER, NEVER prop the phone up with your shoulder & make sure you lift the phone so that you can look straight on when texting or surfing the web.

4. Eliminate food allergies.

Food allergies, particularly to gluten, soy, and dairy, can cause your nasal passages to clog, and make it more challenging to breathe. Forward head posture is very common to individuals that mouth breathe. Think about it, what do they teach during CPR to help someone open their airway? Tip the head back. In a standing position, this is done by extending the cervical spine, which inevitably leads to forward head posture.

5. Stop doing endless amounts of crunches.

Excessive amounts of abdominal training, particularly crunches, can cause an adaptive shortening of the abdominal muscles, which then pulls down on the upper body, leading to forward head posture. This can easily be corrected by performing an appropriate amount of exercise for the muscles that lift the chest and shoulders back and down.

New Research Shows: Chiropractic Care for Children is Safe and Effective

I find it important to share the current research being done in the Chiropractic field, especially as it relates to kids.  In a world that uses prescription drugs on kids without testing (Ritalin & antidepressants just to name a few), it is nice to see research supporting the safety and efficacy of a Chiropractic adjustment for children.  Enjoy!!

The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association's (ICPA) ground breaking study, The Safety and Effectiveness of Pediatric Chiropractic: A Survey of Chiropractors and Parents in a Practice-Based Research Network, was published this month in the prestigious, biomedical journal, Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing. The objective of this study was to describe the practice of pediatric chiropractic, including its safety and effectiveness.

The results of the study determined that the indicated primary reason for chiropractic care of children was “wellness care.” The most common reasons for parents seeking symptom relief care were muscles conditions, ear, nose, and throat, respiratory and digestive disorders. Out of 577 children, with 5438 visits, doctors reported only 3 adverse events. Out of 239 children, with 1735 visits, parents reported only two adverse events. These events were minor discomfort after the adjustment and were readily resolved with continued adjustments. All children remained under chiropractic care. Both parents and doctors indicated a high rate of improvement with respect to the children's presenting complaints. In addition to these improvements, respondents reported better sleeping patterns, improvements in behavior and, improved immune system function while under chiropractic care.

Dr. Joel Alcantara, ICPA Research Director and presenting author said, “this paper shows the preliminary results of the ICPA’s Children’s PBRN – Phase One. Phase Two is well under way and we have initiated similar research pertinent to pregnancy. We are pleased that a major CAM Journal respects the importance of chiropractic care for children and we foresee greater collaboration with the CAM community on the importance of chiropractic care for children.”

Dr. Jeanne Ohm, executive director of the ICPA says, "I am pleased to be affiliated with an organization dedicated to chiropractic family wellness research. It is wonderful to see research substantiating the safety of chiropractic care for children and the overwhelming satisfaction of parents with children under care."

The ICPA is the oldest and largest pediatric organization in the chiropractic profession. Their mission is Research, Training and Public Education on behalf of family wellness. To find out more about children and chiropractic and to locate a doctor who cares for children visit www.icpa4kids.org

Resolving to "Be Well" in 2010!

Jan 12, 2010 – Chicago, IL – (prlog.com)  – New Year’s resolutions, love them or hate them, bring new energy to people’s yearning to improve their health.  In her book, You Can Be Well, Dr. Stephanie Maj focuses on helping people with these changes to aid them in recapturing the health and vitality that has slowly been eroding away people’s lives.

“I have always used New Years to help my patients set health goals.”  Dr. Maj said.  “It amazes me that people are so unhealthy that on all the Top 10 Resolution lists, health related items account for over half the resolutions.”

This general lack of health in our society is one of the reasons she wrote the book; to help people find the critical steps necessary for success.  There are thousands of books on wellness yet Dr. Maj has found all these books are missing the most vital step of all.

“It is the elimination of nerve interference that NO ONE is talking about and I feel can no longer be ignored. As a chiropractor, I focus on removing the interference in the nervous system, the master controller of all the organ systems of body.  Without removing this nerve interference, no other steps will get the patient to their desired health goal.”

“I find that people misunderstand what health and wellness really are to them.  Most people want to be healthier yet have no idea what health really is and exactly how to go about achieving it.”  In her book, Dr. Maj talks about the 5 critical steps to wellness, four of which are action steps that every self-help health book talks about:  Eating right, stress relief, exercise and eliminating toxins.

Dr. Maj has noticed that others are out there speaking and writing about wellness and what it means and yet fail to address the interference in the nerve system that Chiropractic corrects.  The reason this is so important is that the body is a self-healing organism and the nerve system is what controls that healing.  When there is interference in the nerves, there is interference in the body’s ability to heal properly or fight disease (like cancers and viruses).  Chiropractic removes interference in the nerves so the body’s own natural defense systems can be restored.

Research shows that when you have interference in the nerve’s function at the spinal level, this leads to a cascade of harmful results.  Some of those results include:  Increased blood pressure, increased cholesterol, increased triglycerides, insulin resistance (pre-diabetes), increased stress hormones, decreased immunity (cancer & infections), decreased sense of well being and a decrease in complex learning abilities.

“I understand that achieving health and wellness is not as simple as only getting a Chiropractic adjustment.  I address other steps in my book, “You Can Be Well.”  Eating right, exercising, combating stress and eliminating toxins are needed as well.”

Dr. Maj states, “The mission at Community Chiropractic is to check as many people as possible for hidden health problems and to save them from a life of drugs and surgery.  We do this in Chicago everyday yet if you aren’t in my practice; there is no way of knowing these vital steps.”

The biggest promise I have for people is that You Can Be Well, too!

Dr. Stephanie Maj is the clinic director for Community Chiropractic, a full service wellness center offering family health care, acupuncture, massage, orthotics and nutritional counseling. Dr. Maj has been practicing in the Lakeview area for 14 years.  Her book You Can Be Well,  can be purchased on Amazon.com or on her website, youcanbewell.net.

The Ear Infections Epidemic - The Truth Every Parent Needs to Know!

Dr. Maj adjusting young Samantha

Dr. Stephanie Maj answers the most pressing question in her pediatric practice: What is the cause of ear infections and what can we do to heal them without drugs or surgery?

Chicago-Ask any parent about ear infections, and you will likely hear one horror story after another. Ear infection or Otitis Media, is the most common reason for visits to the pediatrician’s office. In fact, visits to the pediatrician’s office for ear infections have increased over 150% from 1975 to 1990. It is estimated that over 30 million visits are made every year in an attempt to deal with this problem.

In my practice, we have an effective, safe solution to the problems plaguing parents. What we find is most parents fail to understand what is happening with these infections.

Otitis Media is the general name for several conditions affecting the middle ear. The most common symptoms are earache, a feeling of pressure, and perhaps difficulty hearing due to increased amounts of fluid. Teething often produces similar symptoms, therefore, the child should be carefully observed before jumping to any conclusions.

Historically, the treatment for ear infections has been antibiotics. This method of treatment has come under severe attack over the past several years for many reasons. One of the reasons, the overuse and over prescription of these antibiotics, has led to what is termed “antibiotic resistant bacteria”. These bacteria have “evolved” and changed so that the antibiotics no longer affect them. Because of this phenomenon, stronger and stronger antibiotics are being used, which is leading to more and more resistance. (http://tinyurl.com/yep3y33)

Another reason use of antibiotics has come under fire is because study after study has demonstrated that they are not effective. In other words, they do not work! This is why so many children are on one antibiotic after another, stronger and stronger each time. Sure, many times the infection will go away, but it quickly returns with a vengeance, and so begins the antibiotic roller coaster.

The reasons they continually reoccur is two-fold: First, antibiotics kill off most bacteria in the body including the helpful “good” bacteria our bodies need. This depletes our children’s natural immune system, making them vulnerable to many more infections of varying types.

Secondly, antibiotics merely attempt to treat the symptoms of ear infections, they do not address the actual cause and therefore the infections return.

The real question then is what is the cause of ear infections? The reality is that ear infections themselves are merely a symptom of a greater problem. The vast majority of them are secondary to a cold or another infection, which may be due to a depressed immune system.

The other more physical reason children suffer from ear infections is because of the actual anatomy of the young ear.

In children, the Eustachian tube is nearly horizontal, gradually acquiring a near 45-degree angle. This often slows draining of these tubes and with stagnant fluid, infection may appear.

The obvious question from most parents now is: what can we do? The answer lies in a new level of thinking.

As a chiropractor, my primary objective is to address the root cause of health problems. Treating symptoms, as mentioned earlier, has been proven unsuccessful at best. When dealing with your children and ear infections, my goal is to correct the actual cause, and to allow the body to function at its optimal potential. (http://tinyurl.com/ybqlymw)

There is a direct link between the nerves in the neck (the superior cervical ganglion), the muscles of the Eustachian tubes (tensor veli palatini) and the middle ear.

Let me explain: The middle ear drains any fluid through the Eustachian tubes. These tubes open and close through the action of a muscle and that muscle is controlled by a nerve. This nerve originates in the neck. When this nerve is not functioning normally, the tensor veli palatini muscle may go into spasm, which constricts the Eustachian tube, restricting drainage and causing fluid buildup in the middle ear. This fluid, combined with a stressed immune system, may result in an ear infection.

Ultimately then, this “nerve interference” can cause your children to suffer as they do. My job as a chiropractor is to detect this nerve interference called subluxation, and correct it. A subluxation is a misalignment of a bone in the spine that pinches, stretches or twists a nerve resulting in interference.

By correcting this interference, the child’s body is given the potential to heal and be well. With proper chiropractic care, your child will be able to live a life free from nerve interference, and free from unnecessary medications and antibiotics.

Chiropractic adjustments for children are very gentle and differ tremendously from the adult version. Imagine you are putting a contact in your eye or testing a tomato to see if it is ripe, that is the extent of the pressure used in these treatments. There is no twisting, popping or pulling involved.

Through advances in technology such as Surface EMG and Thermal Scans, a chiropractor can easily detect these subluxations and monitor their correction as well. This enables chiropractors to be accurate and objective, allowing you the best care possible.

A promising study published in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics now indicates that there is a strong correlation between chiropractic adjustments and the resolution of ear infections. 332 children with chronic ear infections participated in the study. Each child, ranging in age from 27 days to 5 years, was given a series of chiropractic adjustments. The results show that close to 80% of the children in this study experienced NO ear infections within the six-month period following their initial visits. The six-month period included maintenance treatments every four to six weeks.

Correcting the cause through chiropractic has been shown to help over 80% of all children with ear infections.

Treating the symptoms of ear infections with antibiotics has proven to be ineffective. Give your children a fighting chance with chiropractic; it could change your lives!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Stephanie A. Maj has been helping children and adults experience life at their maximum potential through Chiropractic for over 14 years. She is the author of the book, “You Can Be Well” and lectures throughout Chicago on a variety of health issues, and may be contacted at 773.528.8485. Community Chiropractic is located at 1442 W. Belmont, 1E Chicago, IL 60657. Her website is www.communitychiropractic.net.