It gives me great pleasure to announce my new office location in Lancaster, CA starting JANUARY 2nd, 2012.  Our new locale is 5,000s sq. feet and we will be offering a ton of much needed health services, including:

• Chiropractic Adjustments
• Posture Correction
• Nutritional Support for a variety of Conditions
• Weight Loss Consultations and Customized Diets
• Car Accident and Workers’  Compensation rehabilitation
• Physical and Modality Therapy
• And Much More…..

In addition, we will be providing fitness and exercise classes of all levels from corrective exercises for the injured individual…………..to higher level training for elite athletes.   Included will also be our much desired FITNESS BOOTCAMP, great for ALL levels of fitness!!

NEW LOCATION:

Performance Chiropractic
824 West Avenue L-6, Unit #D
Lancaster, CA 93534
Phone:  (661) 942-5000(Active 12.26.11)

WE WILL SEE YOU THERE!!

Dr. D.

P.S. A heartfelt thank you to all staff and members of my previous location at AVCHC for a great past 4 years of working together.  You will all be missed.

   What are the warning signs? The body has been trying to tell you that it’s likely time to get evaluated. You just haven’t been listening! This comes in the form of:

• Muscle tightness or strain… sometimes in your legs and lower back, or abdomen
• Lower back pain from sitting to standing, or when rolling over on your bed
• Soreness after a long day at work, in the lower back
• Needing to put your legs up to feel comfortable
• Impaired back or shoulder flexibility
• Neck, mid-back, and low back spinal stiffness
• Headaches
• Numbness, coldness or tingling in your extremities
• Dull, generalized muscle aches
• Feelings of being restless

   What to do when you feel these symptoms: Be pro-active and listen to your body, and you can avoid those sudden instant” back pain episodes.  Come in and get evaluated so that we can seek out the root cause of your problem.  If you have questions, please contact us, we’re here to help!

 Rick Duenas, DC, NASM-CPT

Put the brakes on this line of thinking! Fitness is much more than simply performing a “cardio” routine.  To be fit one must consider the different elements that comprise fitness, including flexibility, muscular endurance, balance, coordination, speed, strength, power, and of course, cardiovascular endurance.  When you have or acquire the skills that follow the performance of each of the above mentioned categories, the byproduct is an attractive phyique that is proportional in terms of fat and muscle, along with securing all the health benefits associated with each one.

So, your focus on how to improve your physique should be on the development of these skills.  As your skills become more refined, your body composition changes because there becomes a greater need for strength, for power, for muscular endurance, etc. as you train accordingly.  In other words, your body changes in order to give you the required skills to perform the activities demanded of it.

 Hence, not only do you ultimately burn more calories, improve your muscle to fat ratio, and lose weight faster, but you will also be enjoying the many other benefits derived from working on these other aspects of fitness, which are often disregarded. 

So, give it a try.  If you are unsure on how to incorporate these different elements of fitness, contact us.  We’ll get you on the right path.

Rick Duenas, DC, NASM-CPT

*  Poor posture can lead to excessive strain on our postural muscles! The postural muscles include the hamstrings and large back muscles and they’re critically important in maintaining good posture. Poor posture can cause them to relax – not the good kind of relax, but the bad kind – and it can make your postural muscles more prone to injury and back pain.

*     For many, posture is a habit! Normally, we aren’t conscious of our normal posture. When it comes to poor posture, what we’re really dealing with for many folks who don’t have underlying structural issues from trauma, scoliosis, degeneration, etc.,  are poor habits. Like biting your nails. Once you realize you’re practicing the habit of poor posture, you can practice the habit of good posture. Also chances are good that no one ever taught you what good posture looks like. I will in a moment.

*     How do I stand properly? Bear your weight primarily on the balls of your feet. Keep your feet about shoulder width apart. Stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled backward… and… tuck your stomach in.

*     How do I sit properly? Your knees should be at or below the level of your hips. Don’t cross your legs. Your ankles should be in front of your knees. Adjust the backrest of your chair to support your low- and mid-back or use a back support, available at our office. Don’t slouch. Sometimes it helps to sit on the edge of your chair.

 If your lower back or shoulder blades are feeling tender after a day at work, it might be time to come in and get evaluated. It’s your body’s way of saying “help!” Also I can show you some back supports that can help you feel better.

If you’d like to talk to me about  YOUR posture related symptoms, please call, contact me, or come in under our 2 Free Appointments Program.… we’re here to help!

Dr. D.

Welcome Mr. Foam Roller!  A foam roll is an inexpensive, versatile, and lightweight piece of equipment made out of a high-density foam. It can be used to for streching, self-massage, and to perform stability exercises.  It uses deep compression to help roll out the muscle spasms and trigger points and to help release tightness in other adjacent fibrous tissues.  The compression causes the nerves to relax, loosens muscle, and gets blood flowing, ultimately helping the body to recover. If fact, patients many times feel some relief of their back muscular pain following foam rolling.

Foam rollers are ideal for any setting, including for a home workout.  The most common is the 36″ long, 6″ round format.  The more inexpensive foam rollers are less dense, which may be more comfortable for individuals who have never foam rolled or who have multiple muscle issues. Unfortunately, these tend to be more easily crushed after prolonged used.  Ultimately, it is worth spending a little more on a denser foam roller that will last you much longer. 

So, give it a try!  Give your muscles the treat they deserve.  If you have questions on the specifics on how to use one, contact me and I will forward you an instruction sheet.

Rick Duenas, DC, NASM-CPT

As you may already know, the health status of our nation is appalling and yearly becoming worse.  Despite our nation being one of the wealthiest in the world, our lifestyle habits are not commensurate to promoting good, even slightly adequate, health. Just look at the following well-known statistics:

66% of U.S. adults are overweight. Almost a third of our young children are obese.  Of both groups combined, less than 10% participate in regular exercise.  Of those that begin an exercise program, 50% drop out in the first 6 months, while the sedentary lifestyle continues to gain popularity. Chronic diseases rates are on a rise.  Cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, auto-immune conditions, migraines, depression, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, medically and drug-related deaths, thyroid problems, and other common ailments continue to increase at rates of epidemic proportion which would have been considered unthinkable in the past.

Yet somehow we’ve sadly become immune to these statistics.  Despite the information galore that is available about the dangers of a lifestyle focused on inactivity and one that is heavily dependent on processed foods, we remain stubborn in our ways. We are a society that is overfed and undernourished, no doubt! Even worse, most believe that the answer to their ailing health comes in the form of a medication, a pill….or as is typically seen, a whole bag of pills! This belief is incredibly pervasive despite the clear evidence in the medical literature of its shortfall. Add all of the above factors together and you have the perfect recipe for a society ridden with progressively declining health.

SO, WHAT ARE WE TO DO?

First and foremost, each and every one of us must DECIDE! Decide to not be part of these statistics. Decide that you will make better health choices this year for the sake of yourself, your children, your family, your friends, and your community. Decide to extend your healthy years in life for sharing with others and for charitable service. Decide that you WILL get educated on the basic matters of health through a proactive approach by reading, attending classes, and doing your own research.  Most of us know that “diet and exercise” are important, but few of us truly really know what this means and how to effectively apply it. Decide to master your own body!

Let us not be men or women as described in the following quote from James Allen, author of As a Man Thinketh, “Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves.  They therefore remain bound”.

Only by making a decision and taking action can you move forward. Have a total and unwavering commitment that this year your health will be treated as a priority.  Be disciplined.  Be consistent.  Exercise. Eat well. Educate yourself.  Peruse my recommended reading list on this site and pick a few books to read.

Following are a few of my favorite picks to get you going.  To inspire you on the intimate relationship between nutrition and longevity read The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner or Healthy at 100 by John Robbins.  To learn the incredible benefits of increasing plant-based products in your diet, read The China Study by T. Colin Campbell.  Lastly, to learn more about why drugs are not the answer to our nationwide dilemma, read What the Drug Companies Won’t Tell You and Your Doctor Doesn’t Know, by Michael T. Murray.

Yours In Health Always,

Dr. D.