Dr. Anne Stacey

Surgery, Pharmaceuticals, or Vancouver’s Chiropractic Expert Hands?

vancouver_chiropractor — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:39:57 +0000

We like to keep a positive attitude here at Dr. Stacey’s office, but there comes a point when almost every adult in Vancouver looks at what passes for healing in today’s medical establishment and wonders if it doesn’t get any better than this. Vancouver’s chiropractic community would like you to know: it does.

Big Pharma?
The standard of care these days seems to be “what kind of pill will the doctor prescribe for me this time?” The idea that curing is a natural process has been completely supplanted by the idea that the right laboratory-devised molecule will enter our body and fix whatever problem we have — so long as we’re willing to suffer the consequences.

Cost: Brand-name prescriptions can cost hundreds of dollars per month, and generic versions of the same molecules still drain dozens of dollars from your wallet.
Commercials:This money goes mostly to fuel advertisements for the latest brand-name molecules so that you’ll be tempted to spend the extra 80-90 dollars per month. Just what we need: more commercials.
Side Effects: One of the absolute truths about pharmaceuticals is that our bodies didn’t evolve to deal with them — so side effects are not only commonplace, but can be downright crippling.

Surgery?
In general, the downsides to surgery are significantly rarer than the everyday downsides to pharmaceuticals — but that doesn’t make them any less fearsome. Consider that the number one cause of accidental deaths worldwide is medical malpractice. Some of that is attributable to mistakes made in prescribing drugs — but much of it has to do with mistakes made during surgery, particularly involving cleanliness of the doctor, the tools, and the environment.

Chiropractic
Chiropractic medicine isn’t perfect — there’s not a lot we can do for a viral infection, for example — but when chiropractic is an option, it’s almost always the best one. It’s inexpensive, safe, and effective, with little to no risk of side effects, medical malpractice, or commercials. Your Vancouver chiropractor can help you overcome a wide range of diseases and discomforts — give us a call and find out what your options are today.

4 Surprising Ailments Your Vancouver Chiropractor Can Help Your Child With

vancouver_chiropractor — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:35:19 +0000

From it’s roots in Davenport, Iowa to here in Vancouver, Chiropractic medicine has a long and storied tradition of being able to address some problems that are beyond the scope of normal modern medicine. Most doctors aren’t trained in the proper way to realign your spine, so if you have a nerve pinch, muscle spasm, or inflammation due to a displaced vertebrae, a chiropractor is the only one likely to be able to help you. But did you know that chiropractic medicine can heal much more than just back pain? Check out these four things you probably didn’t think your Vancouver Chiropractor could help with:

Migraines: Migraines are mysterious in their origin, and the success of the various treatments leveraged against them by modern medicine is almost entirely a matter of luck because of it. Chiropractic adjustments were studied against a common anti-migraine drug called amitriptyline, and were found to be equally effective — and there aren’t any side effects to an adjustment!
Bedwetting: Some kids are bed wetters. There are a lot of theories as to why, but like migraines, no proven reason. What chiropractors have found, however, is pretty compelling. The tailbone begins life as five separate bones which fuse together sometime at the beginning of puberty. The nerves that control the bladder run through that area, so a minor misalignment of those five bones might cause the bladder to miscommunicate with the brain, causing the child to fail to wake up in time to urinate. A chiropractic realignment may help to alleviate this problem, according to The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.
Tinnitus: Another medical mystery, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) is not a disease, but it is a symptom of several different conditions. Not all tinnitus can be solved through chiropractic manipulation — if it’s caused by damage to the eardrum or impacted earwax, for example, no amount of adjusting will help. But it turns out that many cases of tinnitus are caused by compression of the 8th cranial nerve — and that is a fairly basic thing for any skilled chiropractor to address.
Colic: We generally don’t think of infants as needing or even benefiting from chiropractic care, but one study that compared the effectiveness of chiropractic manipulation to the effectiveness of an anti-gas medication (colic is frequently thought of as a problem with gas) found that chiropractic manipulation was more than twice as effective at getting a colicky baby to stop crying and relax.

Myths about Back Strength

dranne — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 21:44:23 +0000

This is a great video featuring the University of Waterloo kinesiology professor, Dr. Stuart McGill. Dr. McGill is one of the world’s foremost experts on spine biomechanics. Here, he discusses several pervasive myths about back injury, exercise, proper lifting, and strengthening the core. Plenty of exercise and movement demonstrations teach you better ways to keep your back healthy for a lifetime!

7 ways to Relieve Muscle Soreness

dranne — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:40:03 +0000

An article from Active.com has some great tips on preventing muscle soreness after physical work or sports activities. These are the top 7 tips they outline.

1. Move more. A gentle cool down throughout the day prevents muscles from tightening up.

2. Stretch. A gentle stretch improves blood flow and even has been show to improve mood!

3. Hydrate. Plenty of water, while also keeping caffeine and alcohol low helps recovery.

4. Feel kneaded. Do self massage with trigger point balls or rollers, or even get a massage from a friend or health professional.

5. Pack in protein. Your muscles need protein for recovery.

6. Soak in a tub. The heat helps your muscles loosen up.

7. Ease back in. Improve your overall fitness by taking classes and being active consistently, not just on weekends or sporadically.

Remember, the most effective way to relieve muscle soreness after an active weekend is to move a bit more, drink lots of water and nourish your muscles back to health.

Take a look at the full article here.

Chiropractic Care for an Easier Pregnancy & Safer Birth

dranne — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:44:34 +0000

Excerpt from an article by Dr. Jeanne Ohm in Pathways, December 2009 Issue #24

Hormonal and structural changes can lead to spinal and pelvic misalignment and the lower back pain many women experience during pregnancy. Lower back pain, in and of itself, is a burden to a woman’s daily function and quality of life. However, the misalignment of the spine and pelvis have a far more crucial consequence to a mother and her developing baby. These misalignments cause stress overload to the mother’s nervous system, potentially impairing any of her vital systems and organs. During pregnancy, when a mother’s body systems are basically functioning for two, any interference to the nerve transmission supporting their function can be detrimental to her health and well-being, as well as the growing baby’s. Reducing this nerve system stress is a key ingredient for normal bodily function.

Another effect of spinal and pelvic misalignment throughout pregnancy is a condition imposed on the baby called intrauterine constraint. To understand this, it is important to look at the mother’s anatomy and see the relationship between her pelvic biomechanics and the baby’s positioning. The mother’s pelvis has various key ligaments attached that support her uterus. As the baby grows, their role becomes increasingly important. If her pelvis is in biomechanical balance during pregnancy, the uterus will be supported symmetrically. This allows the baby optimal room for movement in utero and provides it the opportunity to develop free of constraint. Conversely, if the woman’s sacrum (the major triangular bone in her pelvis) is out of alignment, it will affect the alignment of her entire pelvis. Misalignment of the pelvis will create an uneven pulling effect on the uterine ligaments, which explains why some women feel sensitivity on one side more than the other. Intrauterine constraint can create torsion in the uterus, limiting available space for the developing baby. This can inhibit the development of the baby’s spine.

Intrauterine constraint not only compromises fetal positioning, but can also impair the future health of the baby. The optimal position for birth is anterior vertex (rear-facing, head down). When a baby presents breech or posterior, it often is the result of an imbalance in the mother’s pelvis, forcing the baby to assume a compromised position.

Even if the baby is vertex, the head may be tilted off to one side. This tilting is termed “ascynclitic.” While this position is less troublesome than breech or posterior, it could still result in a lengthier, less comfortable and more complicated birth. Ideally, the baby’s neck should be flexed forward without a tilt to either side.

If mother’s biomechanics are compromised, obstetric interventions are more likely to be recommended and implemented. Each and every intervention has significant side effects for both mother and baby.

What is ART?

dranne — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 01:26:50 +0000

What is ART?

ART ® – Active Release Techniques – is a system of diagnosis and manual treatment for soft tissue disorders resulting from Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTD), Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI), postural strain, sports injuries and general wear and tear. ART ® is a patented soft tissue system that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, rotator cuff syndrome, golfer’s and tennis elbow, sciatica, plantar faciitis, Achilles tendonitis, knee problems, tendonopathies, epicondylitis, mechanical low back pain, and most sports injuries are some of the many conditions that can be treated with ART ®. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they often result from injury to over-used muscles.

How do these overuse injuries occur?

Over-used muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:

acute injuries (pulls, tears, collisions, etc)
accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)
not getting enough oxygen (hypoxia)

Each of these factors can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorted and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendonitis and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength and pain. If a nerve is trapped, you may also feel tingling, numbness and weakness.

What is an ART ® treatment like?

Every ART ® session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. The ART ® provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements. ART ® is unique in its systematic approach to patient and tissue tolerance because the patient can control the active movement during the treatment. These treatment protocols – over 500 specific moves – are unique to ART ®. They allow providers to identify and correct the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient.

How does ART ® work?

ART ® works by releasing the level of tightness or scar tissue formation that had formed as a result of injury, overuse, or even postural imbalances. The tissues are worked to fix injuries within muscles, tendons, ligaments, and between nerves to allow for improved tissue texture, tension, movement, and function.

ART ® is usually and effective treatment on its own. However, if can be combined with other types of treatment that contribute to optimal joint function. Manipulation is often used in combination with ART ® (especially with spinal conditions). As well, rehabilitative exercises to improve strength and flexibility are usually necessary.

For further ART ® information, visit www.activerelease.com.

New Hours

dranne — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:33:27 +0000

As of April 2011, Dr. Stacey will be at Eastpoint Natural Health (Suite 202 – 1448 Commercial Drive) 4 days per week. Her new office hours will be as follows:

Monday 10am – 5pm

Tuesday 12noon – 7pm

Wednesday 3pm – 8pm

Friday 8am – 1pm

Call the office at 604-251-2435 or go online to . . . → Read More: New Hours

Does Your Workspace Cause Your Aches and Pains?

dranne — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:18:47 +0000

Have you ever had a sore or stiff neck and shoulders after a long day of work, but were just sitting at your desk all day? Sustained postures are stressful on the body and do not allow the muscles that hold your body upright a chance to rest, even in a sitting position. Many work-related injuries every year come from poor posture, long hours, and few breaks.

Common Sitting Postures

When most people are sitting, they allow their muscles to relax and sink into the chair. They end up leaning forward, causing stress on the back of the neck and shoulders. They also often keep the body weight on one side, causing a strain in the low back and hips. People who spend time answering the phone or have multiple computer screens may spend a significant amount of time reaching or putting their shoulders and arms at risk for overuse injuries. The same is true for people who work strictly with one computer and spend all their time mousing and typing.

Proper Sitting Posture

What is proper sitting posture? The image to the side describes the seat and user positions, the computer and keyboard position, and has tips about tailoring it to your specific needs.

How to Organize Your Workspace

Is your workspace cluttered? Are you constantly reaching or digging through papers? Your main task should always be directly in front of you, and think about the position of your mouse, your computer screen, your telephone and your files. You should not have to constantly reach past a comfortable arm length throughout your day. Consider using a swivel chair if you still find yourself twisting or leaning often.

Use appropriate lighting to reduce eyestrain. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to prevent dehydration and improve concentration. Take breaks to reduce eyestrain and muscle fatigue. Get up and walk around for a few minutes every hour or so to improve circulation and to clear your head. You will be more energetic, efficient and productive if you take care of your posture and your body.

Source: Tweakfit.com, BCCA ergonomic guidelines, WCB guidelines

Plant and Rake without the Ache

dranne — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:31:03 +0000

Every spring and fall, many individuals take part in raking, lifting, digging, kneeling, and planting activities that lead to aches and pains. Improper gardening techniques can cause repetitive strain injuries that lead to degenerative joint and disc problems, cause sprain and strain injuries to muscles throughout the body, and wear and tear to joints and muscles. To help you enjoy your gardening season, keep these tips in mind.

Stretch out before you head out Take the time to prepare your body for activity. Always warm up and cool down your muscles.

Use good lifting techniques Keep the load close to your body with your back straight. Bend your knees while picking up and putting down the load. Avoid twisting. Ask someone for help with heavy, awkward loads.

Use the right moves

Alternate your tasks. Take turns between heavy chores such as digging and less physically demanding ones such as planting.
Stand with one leg forward and one leg back when you rake. Raking can put significant strain on your back and arms.
Change hands often when you rake, hoe, or dig, preventing muscle strain on one side of the body.
Kneel to plant and weed. Constant bending can put a strain on your back, neck, and leg muscles and joints. Use kneepads or a kneeling mat to minimize the amount of bending required, and to make kneeling more comfortable.
Change positions frequently. Make a point of changing position every 10-15 minutes. Move from kneeling to standing, from digging to planting.

Use the proper tools Make sure that tools are a comfortable weight and size for you. There are many ergonomically designed tools which are lightweight with long, padded handles and spring action mechanisms that can reduce strain and effort.

Take a break! Get up, move around, alternate tasks, repeat your stretch routine or sit back, relax at least once every hour. The work can also be spread over several days! Give yourself a breather. Your back will thank you.

From the CCA www.chiropracticcanada.ca.

Biking Tips for Neck & Back Health

dranne — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:11:05 +0000

The weather is warming up, the sun is here a little more often, and people are starting to take out their bikes for daily commuting and for weekend fun.

However, biking after a long break may cause many people to start developing pain in their neck, back, and hands. In many of these cases, poor bike ergonomics plays a huge role. Like any other sports equipment, a proper fit is essential to ensuring a positive, pain-free experience. Many bike shops, such as Commercial Drive’s Bikes on the Drive provide expert bike-fitting services, focusing on proper arm and leg extension and the alignment of the hips and shoulders.

In a bike fitting, the first step is always to make sure you have the appropriate type of bike for your intended use, and the right frame size to fit your body. Commuting and touring bikes provide the best ergonomics for daily riding, while more aggressive downhill frames are designed to optimize balance and efficiency on trails and uneven terrain. Using the wrong type of bike can have long term effects on the shoulders, neck, low back, hips and knees.

Once the right bike is identified and sized correctly, the comfort of the riding can be enhanced with the right accessories, with specific symptom-related goals. For example, the type and style of pedals help with knee and ankle issues. The correct size, type and position of the seat can prevent low back and hip issues, and the proper position and height of the handlebars can reduce low back, shoulders, neck, elbows, and wrist strains.

After tailoring the bike to your body, make sure that you dress for the weather and for your riding, and that you stay visible to prevent accidents. Vancouver weather varies greatly, and both comfort and safety relies on your preparedness for the elements. Wind and cold can cramp up muscles and affect joints and tendons. Gloves reduce road vibration and insulate hands against cold. Shoes can even affect your riding comfort, as hard soled shoes spread pressure more evenly over the pad of your foot, reducing strains on your lower legs and feet. Remember that safety is directly related to visibility, so use fenders, lights, safety vests, glasses, rack and panniers to stay visible and flexible. And don’t forget your helmet!

Thank you to Tobias Cain at Bikes on the Drive (1350 Commercial Drive) for tips on proper bike fit. Dr. Anne Stacey is a Vancouver-based Chiropractor.