Back pain causes a chain of events that aren’t too pretty. As a practicing Denver chiropractor, I’ve seen more than my fair share of people brought to their knees, literally, due to back pain. It’s one form of pain that you just can’t tough out.

The body is one contiguous unit. It must be treated as such. If you chase the pain trying to get back pain relief, far too often you’ll come up empty. The pain you experience in a certain spinal area, say the lower back, may not be the primary area that’s injured. For instance, middle back pain causes muscle spasms, which can cause the lower back, or even neck and shoulders to overwork by compensating.

Here are a few more obscure back pain causes…

Did you know that an inflammatory diet, the ‘Standard American Diet’ (S.A.D) can contribute to pain and discomfort? Did you know that one of the most common side effects of statin drugs is muscle and joint pain?

Yep.

By the way, an anti-inflammatory diet is one of my favorite ways to not only feel better naturally, but to lose weight and have more energy. If you’re overweight, that extra weight can be contributory towards back pain.  HERE is my favorite 30-diet to ‘de-flame’ and feel better.

Kidney pain causes a referral of soreness or deep ache to the lower back. Depending on the kidney, it could cause left lower back pain or right lower back pain.

Upper back pain causes the thoracolumbar muscles to spasm, which can have an effect all the way down to the pelvis. Range of motion now becomes compromised, which, in turn, can cause the piriformis muscle, located near the buttock, to spasm. And guess what? The sciatic nerve runs right through the middle of the piriformis muscle! This is known as Piriformis Syndrome. This can cause hip and leg pain or sciatica. Sciatica causes the leg to experience pain, numbing and/or tingling.

A herniated disc (disk), can also contribute to back and leg pain.

Back pain causes tender trigger points and trigger points can be treated with manual therapy techniques. Unbeknown to many, the best chiropractor can offer much more than just a spinal adjustment. Sometimes a chiropractic adjustment is not the therapy you need. Solving chronic pain is almost always a matter of good clinical detective work. With all of the ‘crumbs’ in place, the doctor and patient can follow the clues to locate the cause of the pain in your back. It makes the remedy much easier.

Horses and zebras both leave similar tracks, but they’re VERY different from each other!

Physiatrists, physical therapists and chiropractors are all well trained in providing tips for a spinal strengthening routine.  If your primary care doctor is not up to speed on neuromuscular medicine and is immersed in only allopathic methods, you may need to add someone else to your health care team, as these types of muscle, tendon and soft tissue injuries are quite common.

FYI – If your back pain causes you to experience an inability to be able to stop or initiate urination or defecation… that’s a 911. These are nerve and spinal cord related effects of a ruptured disc causing what’s known as Cauda Equina Syndrome.

** Here is a trusted FREE back pain cure book.

If you’ve been experiencing lower back pain, take a few minutes to read this through and consider the sources that may be hurting you.

Certain nerves control certain functions in the body. Pain is only one of the functions. Certain nerves carry certain messages. Pain is what’s called a nociceptive signal sent to the brain in response to an even that could be painful.  Not all nociceptive signals are reproduced in the brain as pain though.  Sometimes the signal can be nociceptive, but the amplitude of the signal isn’t high enough to register as pain.  In this case it might only be a dull ache or nothing at all.  Take for instance a sports injury like cutting a finger in a football game and not feeling it; nociceptive thresholds can change due to your activity or due to such day to day things stress.

Lower back pain left alone too long may turn into things like sciatica or numbing and tingling in the leg, which could be sign of a herniated or bulging disc (disk). A lot of times I see improper foot bio-mechanics as the causative factor in chronic LBP. ‘Causative’ meaning THE primary reason for pain in the lower back, sacroiliac joints or hip pain or piriformis syndrome.

Many times a person may injure their low back and not notice the pain till that evening… or the next day. It’s possible that the injury was a muscle strain in this case and when activity decreases the muscle and the pain threshold ‘relax’ enough to notice the nociception to the point that the brain registers the signal as pain.

Bending forward and pulling weeds in the garden is a pretty common task, but if done for too long it can be similar to a lifting injury.  If you hear a ‘pop’ in your spine, it’s likely you over did it. Maybe a ligament injury or herniated disc. Maybe the pop was a strained muscle or a joint dysfunctionly moving.  Back off of your activity and rest immediately until you can be checked.  Letting an injury recover right away is always best – no matter how big or small the injury may seem.  Eventually, injuries will always catch up with us if we ignore them. Symptoms is your body’s way of communicating with you about it’s well-being…pay attention.

Lower back pain affects 80% of Americans at some point in their working lives.  All professions are susceptible too…office managers, receptionists, laborers, drivers, and CEO’s.  Injuries can be chronic in nature such as poor ergonomics.  Chairs with little support aren’t necessarily bad.  The important thing to consider is how well it fits you. Even the best chair with good support ‘steals’ the job of supporting your spine from your core spinal muscles.  Is support bad, no. The point is to maintain a level of fitness that is synonymous with your lifestyle so that YOUR spine can support itself and do what you ask of it.

Upper back pain, although not as common as lower back pain, plagues people every day. I’ll touch on a few of the common sources of upper and middle back pain.

Colorado chiropractors, given the huge number of recreational runners and outdoor enthusiasts; see upper back pain as a result of faulty biomechanics in a majority of the cases. Downtown Denver chiropractors may see more postural related upper back pain due to the frequency of office workers and repetitive stress or cumulative trauma injuries. Some of the best chiropractors, like Dr. Eben Davis, make a huge impact on treating these types of office related injuries naturally and drug and surgery free

When a person ‘runs too tight’ they strain muscles in and around the upper back around the trapezius and rhomboid muscles.  Underneath the ‘traps’ are ribs, and the heads of ribs.  This is where they articulate with the spine. There are joints here. These can become misaligned or subluxated. If an articulation is altered in anyway, this is called a subluxation. Besides sports injuries or poor posture, sometimes innocent things like coughing, twisting or sneezing can cause a rib to ‘come out.’ When they do it can feel like an ice pick on the inside of your shoulder blade.

I see it a lot.

To fix a subluxation, an adjustment can help a condition like this immensely- sometimes immediately.

Upper back pain has other sources too.  Spinal fractures, rib fractures, degenerative discs, trigger points, muscle spasms, referred pain from a lung disorder, and pinched nerves all can cause pain in your upper back.  These conditions are a little trickier to fix.

If you just slept wrong last night then it’s likely a rib isn’t articulating properly.  The symptoms you’d likely feel here are a sharp pain that may or may or may not radiate.  There might be some dull achy tendencies as well, but the most agonizing part of this is that you’re unable to turn your head or breathe properly.  Again, since the rib assists in all of these motions…that’s why it’ll re-create pain each time it’s called upon to move. This is when most people realize how important your rib cage is.

For temporary relief, magnesium sulfate can be used in a bath, frequently called Epsom salt. (Yes, your mother was right) Magnesium is a muscle relaxant.  It can also be taken orally; the taste isn’t all that great.  The relaxing effects can even be felt in the bowel.  Careful not to overdose orally, as this might induce very loose stools or diarrhea.

For other home exercises or proactive ways to prevent upper back pain you can also refer to a yoga practitioner, local chiropractor, physical therapist, or massage therapist.  Get help as soon as you can.  The longer a condition ‘wallows’ in pain, the harder it is to treat and recover from it.  Upper back pain is a game that’s a team sport…call on your spinal specialist as a teammate that can be your catalyst in recovering fast!

Neck and back pain pain causes can stem from a variety of conditions.  Conditions can range from an inflammatory diet, statin drugs (yes, you heard right, statin drugs can be a major cause of not only back pain but joint pain), gall stones, kidney stones, ruptured discs, strains and sprains, repetitive stress, cumulative trauma, a bad bed, poor driving posture, poor work posture, bad shoes, crummy pillows, stress, improper lifting… or attempting the pose the woman above. So knowing the history is half the battle.

Acute and chronic conditions present differently and often result in different treatment plans.  The sooner you treat a condition the sooner the recovery…for obvious reasons one can heal faster if treatment is sought sooner rather than later.

Where To Go For The Answer to Your Back Pain Cause

As you probably know by the name of my website, Denver chiropractor, I practice in Colorado. We serve Lakewood, Littleton, Englewood, Cherry Hills Village, Ken Caryl, Golden and all the surrounding areas. We always ask for thorough family history, possible modes of injury, medications, supplements and daily activities. When all of the ‘crumbs’ fall place we can follow the clues to the solution much easier. I liken it to chasing a horse or a zebra.  They both leave very similar tracks, but they’re much, much different. Sometimes the answer is

Read the rest of this entry »

Back pain during pregnancy can be debilitating.  Understanding the sources of back pain might give you better insight to the facts and myths about pain with pregnancy as well.

Lower back pain can accompany constipation and the cramps during pregnancy can be miserable for a new mother-to-be.  A mother’s body is accommodating and adapting so much in the first trimester it often can throw her bowels into a temporary ‘freeze.’  The nerves emanating from the lower back eventually innervate the lower GI tract, which consists of a lot of smooth muscle; hence the correlation between low back pain and constipation. Many times this can easily be managed with the proper care. The irregularity can often be relieved with an appropriate dose of magnesium citrate.

If you’re experiencing 1^st trimester back pain, a chiropractor can a great place to start in relieving or managing your spinal discomfort.  It’s common (although not normal) to get back pain with pregnancy.  Many times the added weight gain during pregnancy can cause a previously hidden biomechanical fault to come to the surface where it now expresses itself as pain, when before you’re body was managing it.  So if you’re experiencing these symptoms..all the more reason to be in the hands of a competent provider for back pain relief while your pregnant. In my clinic we frequently use the ProAdjuster, which is a computerized instrument that gently assists the body to realigning. Sometimes mom’s just cant comfortably get in a position to be manually adjusted. So this new technology is quite a relief.

2^nd trimester and 3^rd trimester pains, though still somewhat related are a little more unique than the first trimester (as far as back pain goes).  The second and especially the third trimester are more and more devoted to the growth of your baby.  The fetus is growing so much that the source of your discomfort may in fact be due to altered biomechanics such as pelvic bowl changes. We all know that some pregnant mothers have a distinct waddle:). It is, however, possible to maintain a functional and healthy gait if you are being monitored by a physical medicine specialist. Many times something as simple a case specific exercise may do the trick.

Along with back pain during your pregnancy, I see a lot of athletic mothers in Denver so I focus on treating extremities too.  Leg cramps especially unilateral can be treated with adjustments too.  There aren’t many supplements, pills or drugs that treat the cause of your ‘one-sided’ leg cramps.  Consider the ‘waddle’ again for a second and you might notice that one side of your body has to work a little harder than the other.  If a certain set of muscles is ‘overworked and underpaid’ then the untreated cause may contribute to a symptom in the form of cramps.  This is where a chiropractor can really help with back pain during pregnancy. Our clinic is in Lakewood, CO.

When it comes to back pain relief, a visit to the chiropractor has to be on the list, in most cases. Although we’re ‘not real doctors’ To become a chiropractor one must do so by national licensing and national board certifications…not to mention a 4 year bachelor’s degree and 4-5 years of doctoral training in a professional accredited chiropractic university. (Including cadaver lab at 7AM for a year ) And people wonder why I don’t want to go see “Body World’s.”

Back to back pain…

Since back pain relief is so elusive, personally, I like to bring in “All the king’s horses and all the king’s men” to battle it. Most of the time, that’s what it takes.

You get knocked down 7 times, we stand up 8.

There are some home remedies like a topical analgesic, l use Biofreeze. It can provide temporary pain reduction, but by no means is it a cure.  Analgesics like aspirin or Tylenol are often recommended for low grade back pain relief, but unfortunately this option rarely treats the actual CAUSE of the pain.  It’s highly unlikely that your pain is coming from a LACK of aspirin or Tylenol flowing in your veins.

Back pain causes..

Back pain is caused by various conditions and a proper diagnosis will determine proper therapy.  To get a good idea of what’s causing your discomfort, make a journal of the physical things you do the most. Sitting, driving, sleeping, whatever and review how you are performing them. Example: Today I was driving and the car in front of me looked like their was a passenger  driver was in the very middle of the car with no driver. As I pulled up next to him and looked, the driver was slunk over so far that his head was in the middle of the car! God forbid he get rear ended in a position like that…ouch!

Pain relief should start with first knowing what’s causing the pain. Too many doc’s just use the ’shotgun approach.’ The most conservative options such as manipulation therapy, physical therapy, massage, ice or heat should be attempted first.

Acute and chronic conditions can offer a different approach for back pain relief.  Overuse injuries are often chronic in nature.  This being the case, the management of your condition will become more of a process than an event. Sometimes you can expect immediate relief, but often times injuries result in tissue damage which will lend itself to a treatment plan that isn’t an overnight miracle, although we take them when we can.

Things to consider when seeing your Denver chiropractor are not only how long you’ve dealt with low back pain, but also how you my have injured your back.  Mechanism of injury and daily activities give your doctor a better idea of how the injury was sustained.  In knowing this, the doctor can offer better recovery options for you.  In this case, knowing the past can give clues to preventing the spinal pain from coming back.

Things to consider regarding back pain relief:

• How old is your mattress?
• What kind of shoes do you wear? (Check back for a blog post on the “best shoes for back pain” soon)
  
• How much core exercise do you do?
• What’s your posture like? (Like right now?)
  
• When was the last time you sat and performed back pain stretches for 20 minutes?
• How much water do you drink? Let me guess.. “Not as much as I should.” (I’ve heard that one a few times)
• Do you eat a lot of boxed or packaged foods? (They’re inflammatory, you know)
• Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet?
  
• Are you taking a magnesium supplement? Most should be.
  
• Look at the amount of stress you’re dealing with. Most people have no idea how much stress contributes to physical pain.

Here’s a big one that most people have no idea about…Statin drugs are also a HUGE contributor to back, neck and joint pain! I’m seeing it more and more. Patients get off the statins and low and behold… back pain relief!

**As always, remember we serve Denver, Lakewood, Englewood and all of Littleton.

Fibromyalgia Treatment and Oxygen Deprivation

As a Denver CAM doctor, I do not treat fibromyalgia solely a musculoskeletal disorder- because it isn’t solely a musculoskeletal disorder.

Fibromyalgia is far more neurologically based than muscularly based. It’s just that your muscles feel most of the pain. Most of the Fibromyalgia diagnoses that I see come from Rheumatologists. A Rhueumatologist, by definition, is a  doctor that specializes in disorders of joints and soft tissues- not nerves.

In this article I will bring some evidence to the table that may cause you to question whether Fibromyalgia is more of a joint and soft tissue disorder or, as I and others feel it is, a neurological disorder.

Plenty of new research shows that a Fibromyalgia diagnosis is far more likely to be of a neurological origin then a rheumatic one.  The term rheumatology originates from the Greek word rheuma, meaning “that which flows as a river or stream,” and the suffix -ology, meaning “the study of.” (Which is ironic to me since nerves and blood seem to flow like a river much more than joints).

Most of my Fibromyalgia patients are chronically tired. But what actually get tired is your brain.

“Nerve Exhaustion” is a phrase I’ve coined that I feel accurately describes what happens in Fibromyalgia.

One of the unique treatment approaches I employ for fibromyalgia patients is the use of oxygen therapy.

Listen to what noted Professor of Medicine MAJID ALI, M.D. has to say about the four major symptoms of Fibromyalgia sufferers……

4 Major Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

• Persistent muscle pain and weakness. Explanation: Oxygen deprivation contributes to muscle pain.

• Disabling fatigue. Explanation: Oxygen deprivation in tissue can lead to fatigue and exhaustion.

• Brain fog (problems of mood, memory, and implementation). Explanation: Oxygen deprivation in brain cells lead to brain fog and dysfunction.

• Air hunger. Explanation: Oxygen deprivation within the cells causes a craving for air.

I do not take the treatment or diagnosis of Fibromyalgia lightly and you should steer clear of anyone who thinks otherwise. A recent study uncovered evidence that a Fibromyalgia diagnosis can be far more damaging than you may realize.

In The Journal of Neuroscience, a study revealed that the brain can be prematurely aging in Fibromyalgia patients.

And what may be more important is that they found that the longer the individual had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, the more gray matter they had lost.

“Accumulating evidence now suggests that fibromyalgia may be associated with central nervous system dysfunction.”

The brain matter loss was more than 9 times the normal aging!

Other studies also point to a possible explanation for the decreased gray matter in these disorders. It may be atrophy caused by excitotoxicity or exposure to inflammatory processes (Apkarian et al., 2004). In reviewing the above studies it’s remarkable that in Fibromyalgia patients, gray matter loss occurred predominately in regions of the brain that are most related to stress.

Stress can be managed and I believe it MUST be managed for you to get better. The above research should be all you need to be motivated to adopt some kind of stress management protocol that works for you.

The road to recovery IS often long and difficult. But there IS a road to recovery. I can assure you it’s bumpy but there IS a road- you just may not have found it yet.

My grandfather once told me,

“No matter how far you’ve gone down the wrong road, turn around… it’s the WRONG road!”

If what the above mentioned studies are saying in terms of brain aging is true, then every moment that you don’t get help counts against you.

The pursuit of health should be paramount in your habits and actions. I know it’s hard, but you have Fibromyalgia, so you’ve proven you can do hard. Fibromyalgia pain is hard.

Denver Fibromyalgia Treatment

With the addition of oxygen therapy to my Fibromyalgia syndrome treatment protocols I’ve noticed a marked improvement when other methods were not causing patients to get better. When it comes to what this CAM  doctor thinks about Fibromyalgia treatment in Denver…I say never give up.

Journal of Neuroscience April 11, 2007 • 27(15):4004 – 4007 www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/27/15/4004

What causes back pain? Besides the common causes of back pain like lifting something too heavy or shoveling 10 inches of spring snow from an 80 foot driveway (been there, done that), here are insights about what causes back pain that you may not have thought of.

#1 Smoking.

Sorry, no sugar coating here. If you smoke, quit. Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood which can contribute to hypertension which affects all tissues including the health of muscles and discs. Smoking doubles the risk of a person suffering from severe back pain, according to statistics presented at a medical conference on back pain held in Haifa, Israel (2000). The study showed that smokers have twice the risk of suffering from back pain when compared to non-smokers.

After examining existing research, Finnish researchers concluded smoking is “modestly” associated with the risk of low back pain.

SOURCE: The American Journal of Medicine, January 2010.

It is thought that suggests that smoking leads to malnutrition of the disc which in turn renders it more vulnerable to mechanical stress.

British Society for Rheumatology 1993

#2 Prolonged Sitting

Dr. Eben Davis, a San Francisco chiropractor and repetitive injury specialist wrote a very insightful and poignant article entitled “What’s the best office chair for your back?”

Dr. Davis writes, “Sitting for long periods, especially in the office chairs that most of us use and consider ergonomically correct, can lead to a cascade of bad things, including back pain, neck pain, and even obesity.”  Dr. Alf Nachelson , in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, reports In all cases, pressures were highest in the sitting position, about 30 per cent less in the standing position, and about 50 per cent less in the reclining than in the sitting position.

One back pain tip I teach my patients trying to prevent back pain is that the body doesn’t like ANY position for too long… even a good one!

What does this mean? Move.

Change positions. Motion is health. A river doesn’t get stagnant. Just like a stagnant pond, your muscles, joints and discs that don’t move can accumulate metabolic waste and become stagnant when you sit too long.

In my ergonomics class I actually teach 7 different standing positions. Most people never give it a second thought.

#3 Head Forward Posture

Used to be that the phrase “head forward posture” was a description. Now its actually a diagnosis!

Forward head posture is a clinical finding that has been identified in numerous studies (1-6) as a significant factor in not only back pain but a number of  musculoskeletal pain syndromes. I think more than any other factor regarding posture a forward head syndrome has the greatest capabilities of doing the most long term damage and causes back pain. The dangers of forward head posture is that it creates a “domino effect” by shifting the head forward. When the head shifts forward the center of gravity gets thrown off and in order to compensate, the upper body drifts backward to compensate for the upper body shift, making the hips and pelvis tilt forward.

The forward head position can be the cause of not only the head, neck and TMJ problems,but also mid back and low back problems.” (7)

Mom was right… “SIT UP STRAIGHT!”

1. Mennell JM. The Musculoskeletal System: Differential Diagnosis from Symptoms and Physical Signs. Gaithersburg, Maryland: Aspen Publishers, Inc., 1992, pp. 126-33.
2. Donatelli R, Wooden M. Orthopaedic Physical Therapy. New York: Churchill Livingstone Inc., 1989.
3. Cailliet R. Soft Tissue Pain and Disability. Philadelphia: FA Davis Co., 1977.
4. Haughie LJ, Fiebert IM, Roach KE. Relationship of forward head posture and cervical backward bending to neck pain. J Manual Manipulative Ther 1995;3:91-7.
5. Greenfield B, Catlin PA, Coats PW, et al. Posture in patients with shoulder overuse injuries and healthy individuals. JOSPT 1995;21:287-95.
6. Griegel-Morris P, Larson K, Mueller-Klaus K, Oatis CA. Incidence of common postural abnormalities in the cervical shoulder, and thoracic regions and their association with pain in two age groups of healthy subjects. Phys Ther 1992;72:425-31
7. “The danger of forward head posture, Jung Yun”

I think more than any other factor regarding posture a forward head syndrome has the greatest possibility of doing the most long term damage and it is most certain that it contributes and causes back pain.

Here’s my list of healthy Valentine gift ideas, especially for people in Denver and Colorado. Holidays don’t always have to be a reason to self indulge to the point where you sacrifice your health.

I hope this list can help you think of ways to recommit yourself to choosing wellness. If you can learn to think that way, your life will change. You’ll feel so much better, accomplish more and get all there is to get out of life.

Health is a gift you can give to yourself and others- all year round. Keep in mind while reading this you aren’t limited to just one idea!

So, without further ado (in no particular order), here is my Healthy Valentines Day Gift List, Colorado style…

1. Massage Gift Certificate at Massage Advantage Lakewood (Buy a package of six massages or more and get them all for $39/hour! Gift cards do NOT expire and they are sharable)
2. A weekend Colorado Ski and Spa Romance package
3. Organic whole leaf Green tea gift basket from the best tea store in Colorado “In-Tea” (Tell Carol I sent you)
4. A membership at Littleton Yoga Center (first class is free to new members)
5. A nice bottle of organic Red Wine (bring on the resveratrol, skip the sulfites)
6. Dinner for two at the romantic Manor House in picturesque Ken Caryl Valley
7. Pamper Yourself (or your Valentine) at my friend, Jessica Bachus’s website
8. An Italian dinner at “Best of Denver” Cafe Jordano (used to be my secret ‘hole in the wall’ but the word has gotten out)
9. A private serenade by local legend and one of my all-time favorites, Rich Italiano and the Rich Italiano Band (He’s a lovable cross between Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Milton Berle and Elvis)
10. A gift certificate for dinner at Romano’s Italian Restaurant, family owned by another one of my favorites, Ellie Romano
11. Enroll in master of personal development and good friend Bill Sumner’s MasterMind Experience (HURRY begins Feb 8th)
12. A romantic day ice skating outdoors in Boulder
13. Watch a soul-stirring movie (or two) that evokes tears of inspiration and love. My list: Field of Dreams, The Day of the Dolphin, Chariots of Fire, Dead Poets Society, Shakespeare in Love, Gladiator, Cinderella Man, Brian’s Song, World’s Fastest Indian, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Notebook, Legend’s of the Fall, On Golden Pond, Term’s of Endearment, A Walk to Remember, Marley and Me)
14. A home spa day. A bath, meditation, a walk, favorite music, healthy meals, another bath, give each other a massage- be creative, relaxed and peaceful with each other
15. A relationship building seminar by Bill Sumner, “The Inevitable Relationship.” (2/19/10) This seminar is for people of action who want to be part of a powerful program experiencing and learning revolutionary technologies for creating an unbelievable relationship.
16. An infrared home sauna from Colorado’s Luxsauna (One of my favorite healthy therapies for weight loss, detoxification, stress reduction. Located in Lakewood, they deliver fast!)
17. A healthy active outfit or two from Born Fit Clothing (A great Colorado company)
18. A nourishing organic lunch at OrganixxRestaurant
19. Followed by a healthy organic dinner at Mercury Cafe
20. A gift basket full of healthy goodies from Sunflower Markets or Vitamin Cottage, or Whole Foods
21. Healthy anti-oxidant rich sweets from Denver’s own “The Chocolate Therapist”
22. A weekend at the 5-star world renowned BroAdmoor in Colorado Springs- special because I got married there. (The author will accept gifts for this one )
23. Make a deal with the baby sitter and give your wife some ‘coupons’ for babysitting time that she can have ‘in the bank’ for some girl time later
24. A beautifying skin system from my good friend and hair dresser Lisa Comandari
25. My favorite blender in the world (Stay tuned here for more recipes and videos on how to ‘make this blender sing’)
26. Healthy ceramic cookware from the Compleat Gourmet (Say hi to my good friend Barb Trexler when you’re there)
27. A massage chair
28. Innovative jewelery (made from old scrabble tiles!) You have to check out Colorado company HappenStance. Of important note: They donate a portion of sales to Dolls for Daughters which was created by Jessica Bachus in December 2007 – in memory of her daughter Kenzi Bachus. This inspirational Non-Profit Organization collects dolls for underprivileged children throughout the year and distributes them to local Denver charities during the holiday season. (God bless, Jessica)
29. Wild Alaskan Sockeye, King, and Silver Salmon (This is one thing you should splurge on throughout the year, the health benefits are incomparable)
    
30. A healthy breakfast in bed. Frozen organic berries, shredded coconut, chopped almonds and walnuts, granola with almond milk. (See rest of list for what to do after)
31. A silent walk in the park holding hands
32. An invigorating walk with the dogs at a no leash dog park
33. My favorite juicer in the world (This gift alone is worth years of optimum health!)
34. An iPhone? What about a headset that protects iPhone users from electromagnetic radiation
35. A gift of health that keeps on giving… a membership to my gym, Club Form in Littleton, owner Sean Gale is a great inspiration. classes are unique and not the ’same ol’
36. A romantic Estes Park getaway
37. Subscription to a healthy magazine
38. A TRX Home Training System (One of my favorite ways to exercise anytime, anywhere, in Colorado)
39. A healthy nutrition and cookbook.  Here’s one of my all-time favorites: Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon,
40. Spend a lazy morning (or day) at the Tattered Cover Book Store in a cozy chair with a latte
41. An organic sleep system and bedding
42. Custom foot orthotics (For anyone who has foot, leg, hip or back pain, this would be a gift that would keep on giving)
43. A gym membership at 24 hour Fitness (See Miss Colorado, Ginny May, at Littleton/Belleview Sport
44. A soft, new, luxurious organic cotton blanket (Use it to wrap another gift in)
45. A big meaningful kiss… along with a promise to give a big meaningful kiss every day from here on out
46. A new house? See Mike Burns or Mike Haywood
47. A hot bath with essential oils, coconut water, coconut milk, red rose petals and red wine
48. Here’s a website devoted to helping you ladies find Valentine’s gifts for men
49. Complete chiropractic examination at Evocare Center for Physical Health (Mention this article to get Valentine’s special: $25 includes exam, x-ray, & consultation
50. Saturday February 13th is a new moon. During a new moon, the cleansing capabilities of the body are optimized and it’s capacity for detoxing is at its peak. Prepare a hot bath an add sea salt, baking soda and eucalyptus. Drink a lot of pure fresh water and go to bed early. Sleep, heal. If this seems ‘out there’ to some of you, think again. The moon moves vast oceans of waters, your body is 70% water- very cleansing and peaceful.
51. A paraffin bath (she’ll know what it is)
52. A gift from Colorado jewelry maker Circle Of Friends Jewelery and Gems. They also donate to Dolls for Daughters
53. How about some local spa elegance? Salon Foushee in Littleton. Owner Kara is wonderful. 1st class place (amazing pedicures)
54. Here’s a list of Colorado mountain retreats
55. This may be my all-time favorite ’secret activity’ in Colorado-the Tennessee Pass Cook House. You snowshoe about a mile back in the woods to a secluded yurt and then partake in a gourmet cooked 5-star meal that they pack in. Amazing experience. (Shhh, don’t tell anyone!)
56. A romantic B&B
57. A getaway to a private ghost town (Dunton Hot Springs)  Truly one of the premier places in Colorado, if not anywhere in the world.
58. A day shopping at Vail $$$$
59. A day shopping at Cherry Creek $$$
60. A day shopping at Wal-Mart $
61. Lock yourself in a room and make love all day… Priceless!
62. A dog sledding tour for two
63. A romantic snowshoe hike & picnic in the woods. (Click here for the best places in Colorado)
64. Snowmobiling tour in Breckenridge
65. A holistic nutrition class
66. Indoor Golf Lessons (CO Springs)
67. Indoor Golf Lessons (Denver)
68. A gift certificate to Boulder Running Company
69. Horrible back pain interfering with your love life? Try Spinal Disc Decompression Therapy on the DRX9000
70. A new car! (See my friends Henry Block at Quality Mitsubishi or Randy Gradishar at Phil Long Ford
71. A truly healthy and delicious dinner at Root Down
72. A personal trainer
73. Healthy skin care products- Sanitas
74. Oxygen therapy for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue sufferers
75. A nap
76. An Amazon Kindle pre-loaded healthy books. (FREE 2-day shipping on Valentine’s gifts.)
77. A membership to Denver Botanic Gardens
78. Q-link products
79. A “Learn How to Golf DVD” (A back friendly ‘Dr. Spallone Approved’ method of perfecting your golf swing from my good friend Rob Bernard
80. Hire personal trainer Dan Demuth
81. A healthy gift basket from WellBaskets.com
    
82. Begin some new habits. Here’s one of my favorite resources for local farms that sell all-natural grass-fed and organic meats, game and raw dairy- www.EatWild.com
    
83. Cancel all your activities, unplug the phone and try to be thankful, gracious and loving for all that you have in your life. If you can’t do this all day. Do it for however long you can. When was the last time you did that?
    
84. Here’s a great life changing gift you may not have thought of- mind mapping software. It’s how I organize my businesses, my practice and my life. NovaMind mind mapping software
    
85. Manicure? Pedicure? Fingers and Toes Salon
    
86. A FitBook (Tracks your goals, workouts and progress) I love their slogan… Live. Life. Fit.
    
87. BONUS GIFT goes here… please contribute one of your healthy Valentine gift ideas ideas below
    
88. What the hey… get married! How about a “Mountain Top Matrimony at Loveland Ski Resort“  (I proposed on Valentine’s day 8 years ago! Happy ‘Proposal anniversary’ sweetie
    
89. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Retreat
90. Gift Certificate to Vitamin Cottage
91. Make a Valentines Day stocking filled with luxurious healthy spa goodies (Who says stockings are only for Christmas?)
92. Gift Cards: Whole Foods
93. Instead of candy, have healthy Valentines snacks set out- graze
    
94. Single? Get a new best friend and change an animals life- adopt a Valentine pet at the animal shelter
95. Laugh. It’s proven to make you healthier and live longer.  Valentine’s Day Improv Comedy, Bovine Metropolis Theater, Saturday, February 13th at 8:00 PM
96. Healthy delectable indulgence: Strawberries, dark chocolate (70% or more cacao) and a nice organic wine.
97. His and hers snow shoes from REI
    
98. An heirloom family portrait at Baumgartner Portraiture
99. Sign up for yoga at Rishi’s Crossing in Lakewood. Thank you to my friends Mary Ann and Bruce Plocher and yoga guru Asia Cyr!
100. Healthy non-toxic cookware
101. A night at the opera

Whew! This was a lot of work but very fun. I hope that in some way I can help make a healthy impact on your choices. Many of the businesses I have mentioned above are owned by people who are members of my practice and have become great friends.

The creation of this list made me realize how blessed I am to have such wonderful people in my life.

In health, with love (of course, on Valentine’s Day),

Dr. Ron

P.S. PLEASE comment below and give me insight, opinions and feel free to contribute. There will be people and places and things that I just plain forgot to include that are deserving of making this list. let’s work on it together!

P.S.S. If you choose some of these ideas, please come back and let me know. I would love to hear your story. (Except for #61 )

P.S.S. Please share this, maybe you can help someone. After all that’s what love is about, right?

Best Lakewood Chiropractors

Being a Colorado sports chiropractor is the best. It’s a year-round affair.

Colorado is perpetually regarded as one of the healthiest states in the union. One of the biggest reasons, I believe, is due to the high participatory level of outdoor activities and sports. (Which is why I chose to make Colorado my home)

A few years ago I was given the honor of being Colorado’s Sports Chiropractor of the Year by the Colorado Chiropractic Association and CEPA’s (The chiropractic association for the Care of Elite and Professional Athlete’s) National Chiropractor of the Year. (blush, blush)

Because it’s just what I do, I understand it.

But you may not even be aware that a sports chiropractor can play an important role in the management and treatment of not only your injuries but your ability to perform and excel in your sport- whether it’s on a team or for you individually.

Here are some of the top athletes in the world explaining why they include chiropractic care in their sports medicine routine.

In the video below, you’ll see my good friend and mentor Nick Athens taking care of the San Francisco 49ers. (This is where I worked before moving my sports injury clinic to Colorado.)

Above is Joe Montana after his treatment here in Denver at Mile High Stadium.

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