SOHMA Integrative Medicine

We offer the best of Eastern & Western medicine without using drugs or surgery

Chiropractic

What Does the Laser Do at the Chiropractor?

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Laser Therapy and Chiropractic are complimentary treatments.

It’s well understood that chiropractic care can alleviate pain and aid in the natural healing process. Laser therapy is a new way to help relieve chronic and acute pain. What happens when these two therapies are combined?

Join me as we explore how combining these two therapies can result in a more focused recovery.

How Does Laser Therapy Aid in Healing?

Many people are skeptical when introduced to laser therapy. After all, how can shining a light on my skin help manage pain?

Cold laser therapy, also known as low-level laser therapy, effectively treats chronic and acute pains and is incredibly useful in conjunction with chiropractic care. Erchonia’s FX 635 laser has a 72% success rate in clinical trials. The device was approved by the FDA in 2018 to be used in managing pain and has proven to be a safer, more effective treatment option than surgery or pharmaceuticals.

With around 80% of adults suffering from lower back pain at some point in their life, many seek help managing their pain. Unfortunately, about 60% of them will be prescribed opioids to reduce pain symptoms. The opioids mask the pain and typically don’t lead to the body’s healing. Opioids can be dangerous and addictive if taken for extended periods.

At SOHMA Integrated Medicine in Long Beach and Lakewood, CA, we offer cold laser therapy, which among other benefits, can help with pain management. Laser therapy uses specific wavelengths that can stimulate the body’s natural healing process. When the skin is exposed to light particles, it triggers the cell to produce a natural chemical called adenosine triphosphate, which is needed to fuel the body’s cellular processes. The increased production of adenosine triphosphate may improve the body’s blood circulation in the affected area, promoting our natural healing abilities. The cells exposed to the lasers return to their normal processes after the therapy and remain unharmed.

Why do Laser Therapy and Chiropractic Care Work Well Together?

Chiropractic care often emphasizes the physical manipulation of the spine and joints to relieve pain. However, it’s also used to increase the range of motion, improve posture and minimize migraine and neck-related headaches. There are many other benefits of seeing a chiropractor though many patients seek chiropractic care to avoid risky pharmaceutical or expensive surgeries. 

Laser therapy’s benefits include reducing swelling, decreasing stiffness and pain, and returning to the normal function of joints. Laser therapy is also used to accelerate cellular reproduction leading to faster healing. Increase vasodilation to increase blood flow to the affected area and promote healing. Laser therapy can achieve these results safely.

When combining chiropractic and cold laser therapy, results are improved. Beneficial outcomes include pain relief and accelerated healing. Every person is different, and results vary depending on the severity of the injury or condition and the patient’s physical fitness, composition, and age. 

Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine

Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health. 

Located in Long Beach and Lakewood, CA, we help individuals from the surrounding cities.

We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.

3 Risks of Chiropractic Care

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Chiropractors are licensed practicioners.

Generally speaking there are very few risks associated with chiropractic adjustments when performed by licensed and trained professionals. Chiropractic care has an excellent safety record. Many of the risks with adjustments are temporary and minor. Though there are a few risks that involve the patient’s health prior to the adjustment.

This is what we are going to go over today. Join me as we go through 3 risks of chiropractic care, how to minimize those risks or how to avoid them all together.  

Temporary Discomfort in Treated Area

When you go to the chiropractor, they are manipulating your spine, and joints. It’s common for some patients to experience discomfort in the treated area. Typically this manifests as achiness and soreness in the muscles and tendons around the joints being manipulated. The soreness usually only lasts a few hours post-treatment. In some patients the discomfort can last 24 to 48

 hours, but only on rare occasions.

One of the best ways you can reduce the amount of time you feel sore is by applying moisture and heat to your sore muscles. This will let your joints and muscles relax, another fantastic way to help ease soreness is through a warm Epsom salt bath.

Can Cause Low Back Injury

Although chiropractors are there to help treat back pain, there is a risk that there can be lower back pain injury. Usually this occurs when patients have underlying medical conditions that either the patient is unaware of, or doesn’t disclose those underlying conditions to the chiropractor. For those with those conditions, it’s important for you to discuss chiropractic care with both your chiropractor and primary care provider. These conditions include:

  • Severe osteoporosis
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Bone tumors
  • Osteomyelitis
  • Broken or fractured bones
  • Severe arthritis

Bleeding disorders, or structural instability issues can also be cause for concern so be sure to properly communicate any conditions you have.

Chiropractors want to improve your condition so you can get back to enjoying your day. As a patient, being upfront with existing conditions, health issues or challenges you have can greatly diminish any risks involved. You may think they are “small” or “no big deal” however we recommend letting your chiropractor know about any and all pre existing conditions you may have.

Risk of Stroke

This is possibly the rarest risk involving neck manipulation, but it is a possibility. Once again it is a rare risk, some high-velocity neck manipulation may result in a vertebral artery dissection, which can lead to a stroke.

A vertebral artery dissection is when the inner lining of the vertebral artery tears. This artery is located towards the back of our neck and is one of the 4 major arteries that supply the brain with blood. Once torn blood can enter the arterial wall and for blood clots. If a piece of the blood clot were to break off or the expanding artery wall can narrow to the point of restricting blood flow which can result in a stroke. Vertebral dissection can be caused by multiple reasons, not just chiropractic adjustments. Other causes of vertebral dissection include:

  • Automobile accidents
  • Contact sports
  • Roller-coaster rides
  • Mechanical stress

Vertebral artery dissection can also happen spontaneously, though usually the patient has an underlying connective tissue disorder that affects the blood vessels.

Symptoms of vertebral artery dissection may occur days or weeks after the tear, these include:

  • Slurred speech
  • Vertigo or difficulty walking
  • Sensory loss of an arm or leg on one side of your body
  • Trouble swallowing

If you have these symptoms after any blunt force trauma, not just after a chiropractic neck adjustment call 911 immediately as every minute counts.

The risk of suffering a stroke after chiropractic care is incredibly slim. But we want to make sure you are well informed about the risks of chiropractic care even if the risk is small.

Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine

Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask us about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health. 

Located in Long Beach and Lakewood, CA we help individuals from the surrounding cities.

We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.

7 Reasons to See a Chiropractor

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Chiropractors help with various ailments that range from small injuries to helping with mobility.

It’s common to see Chiropractors online adjusting and manipulating patients and hearing satisfying cracks. Many times patients will feel an instant wave of relief other times it may take a few chiropractic adjustments to see improvements in your condition.

Chiropractors are healthcare professionals who specialize in manipulating the spine to help reduce pain, treat pain, and improve mobility and functionality of patients. On your first visit you may be asked about your general health, diet, daily activity and what conditions you have been dealing with. 

When should you see a chiropractor though? Today we’re going to give you 7 reasons you may want to consider seeing a Chiropractor.

Back and Neck Pain

The most common reason to visit a Chiropractor is when you’re dealing with neck and back pain. Though neck and back pain is common for nearly everyone, when you wake up several mornings dealing with that pain it may be time to visit a chiropractic office. Oftentimes after having a car accident you may be recommended to see a Chiropractor to avoid long-term damage. 

Difficulty Sleeping

Sleep is one of the most important aspects of recovery. If you are unable to sleep, your body will have a difficult time healing naturally. However, even if you feel like you’ve slept over 7 hours but have difficulty waking up or feel tired after you wake up you may have poor sleep quality. While you’re asleep your body is busy recovering from the day, and if your spine is misaligned it can cause your body to stress over the pain. This can also cause irritation and stiffness in the neck as well as pain in your arms and legs. A chiropractor can realign the vertebrae in your spine to reduce pain, increase sleep quality allowing you to rest better.

Headache Pain

Headaches can be caused by a variety of reasons, some can have them after poor sleep, staring at computer monitors for hours, allergies, subluxations or simply just because you ate too much ice cream. The severity of headaches can range from a mild brain freeze to a crippling migraine. Although you can take an ibuprofen or aspirin to help with the pain you may be ignoring underlying problems if it happens often. For some people headaches occur because of pressure built up in their neck and spine, a chiropractor can adjust the neck to release tension and relax the neck muscles reducing the frequency and strength of headaches.

Alternative Medicine

Many people mask their pain symptoms with pain pills which rarely deal with the root cause of their physical pain. It’s not uncommon for Americans to take over the counter pain relievers in the morning to help them deal with chronic pain.

What if instead of just dealing with the symptoms you do something about the reason for the pain?

Back pain can be caused by compressed or slipped discs, spinal adjustment or spinal decompression can help with long-term pain relief. Chiropractic adjustments can also help improve your posture which can benefit the rest of your body as well. 

Mental Health

When making chiropractic care a regular part of your health routine many patients express how great they feel. Chiropractors relieve pain in your back and neck allowing you to get out of pain and into balance, and back to play. Feeling less pain means you no longer have to fight your body to perform activities and focus on the moment and fun and enjoy yourself again.

Improved Physical Health

While you may not be looking to be a professional athlete, chiropractic adjustments can help you improve your physical health. A Chiropractor understands the human body and how it’s supposed to move and will be able to test your range of motion and determine if you are dealing with any issues. If you enjoy an active lifestyle a chiropractor can help you to continue to enjoy it with less pain.

Overall Health

Chiropractors specialize in the spine, which connects to the rest of your body. Even if you are not suffering from debilitating pains, a chiropractic adjustment may make you feel holistically better. Patients who have regular chiropractic adjustments report improvements in their daily lives. From feelings of well-being and happiness to increased strength and a stronger immune system. 

Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine

Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask us about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health. 

Located in Long Beach and Lakewood, CA we help individuals from the surrounding cities.

We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.

5 Reasons to Find a Chiropractor In Long Beach

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Chiropractor Consultation

You might be thinking “Great, some Chiropractor telling me I need to use them!” Rest assured the #1 concern we have here at SHOMA Integrative medicine is your health. Whether you use us or another qualified medical professional isn’t the issue. Our concern is to raise the level of health in our fine city of Long Beach, CA.

Before we dig into the details, allow me to share with you a story of a client who visited me years ago (you just might relate).

“I thought all chiropractors did was crack a few necks, weren’t real doctors, and really didn’t do much”.

I wish I could tell you that this was the first time I heard this type of messaging however it was not. If that is how you feel it’s ok. Discover how chiropractic care might benefit you. What you will discover is that at SOHMA Integrative Medicine we are more than just Chiropractic care, however for today let’s dig into a few reasons you might want to consider starting a chiropractic regime.

You Have Regular Back and Neck Pain and Want to Avoid Taking Pills to Handle the Pain

We aren’t against modern medicine however many of our patients come to us being tired of filling prescriptions. They want a different way of life. They are searching for a way that they aren’t dependent on pills to take away their pain.

Many of our patients come to us after having tried multiple doctors or even other chiropractors to handle their neck and back pain.

Oddly enough it’s not just car accidents (which is what many think) can cause neck and back pain. Here at our office we have seen folks develop back and neck pain from:

  • Sleeping wrong on a consistent basis (one of our clients routinely falls asleep sitting straight up in a chair and it led to neck pain)
  • Weekend warriors who push their bodies to the limit and don’t have the same mobility that they used to when they were 20 years younger
  • Lifting heavy objects on a routine basis with the incorrect form either at work or at home

If you are experiencing neck or back pain on a regular basis and your current treatment isn’t working as you desired it might be worth looking into alternative treatment options.

Stress is Causing You Issues and Your Current Treatment Methods are Not Reducing Your Stress Levels

Many of us have had the vision that we just want to disappear to an island where stress doesn’t exist. It’s a pretty sweet dream! Before you sell all of your belongings and disappear to an island we would invite you to discover how to manage your stress.

How does chiropractic care help with stress?

Part of chiropractic care is management of pain throughout the body. Pain in the body causes stress. When you can move without less pain or even no pain you will discover how your level of stress goes down. The body doesn’t want to manage consistent pain. One of the best methods is to discover how to reduce the pain so the body can focus on other items.

You Are An Athlete Who Wants to Improve Your Performance

We have yet to meet an athlete at our Long Beach, CA location who didn’t want to improve their performance. We have runners, triathletes, cyclists, gymnasts, football, soccer, track and more who come to our location.

One of the reasons they come to us is they are seeking an edge in performance. One particular triathlete had shoulder pain when he was down in his drops on the bike. This is a problem for racing and training.

What he discovered after a few sessions:

  • We were able to help him increase his mobility that reduced the pain
  • The bike was not quite fit to his specific body type and some adjustments to the bike also help reduce his pain
  • We provided him with additional exercises to help the muscles that could help support his body during racing and training

One of the benefits of our staff and chiropractors is they are individuals who have a wide variety of interests. Many are dedicated athletes who continue to train for events and they bring that passion to helping our patients.

Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine

Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask us if we are right for you. Located in Long Beach, CA we help individuals from Long Beach and the surrounding cities.

We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.

Benefits of Spinal Decompression

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Doctor showing spinal section

Let’s get one important item out of the way. Back pain is difficult. Whether it’s lower back pain, pain from discs or pain in your legs because of issues with your back it can have an extremely negative impact on your quality of life.

Spinal decompression is an alternative treatment. It’s a treatment method designed to help alleviate the pain in your back.

One of the reasons we like recommending spinal decompression is because it is a non-surgical alternative.

We aren’t against surgery however if surgery can be avoided and you can avoid going “under the knife” so to speak we believe it’s worth looking at all of your options.

What is Spinal Decompression?

Spinal decompression is a process where your spine is gently stretched. This is a process that is done with a doctor who is trained, a very specific table, and a computer.

We perform this type of therapy at our Long Beach, CA facility to help those within the community who are looking for alternatives to surgery. 

We have had patients look at the table or have seen pictures and say it looks like a modern version of something they read about in medieval history class. Rest assured this is a very expensive piece of equipment that is designed to help those with very specific issues.

A few of the physical ailments we use to the spinal decompression table for are:

  • Bulging discs
  • Sciatica
  • Worn spinal joints
  • Leg pain where the pain is caused by issues in alignment with the spine

We could go into more detail however we hope you get the idea that spinal decompression is pretty cool, advanced, and may help you avoid surgery. 

Let’s look at some specific benefits. At any time you can call our office to see if it’s right for you.

Benefit #1: Provides Pain Relief

When muscles are tight, spasming, or injured it can be extremely painful. We have yet to meet someone who wanted more pain in their lives. One of the benefits of spinal decompression is that it can provide pain relief. We can guide the equipment to provide relief to your muscles. The gentle stretching provides relief and can help stimulate the nervous system.

Benefit #2: Helps to restore spinal disc and joint alignment

A body out of alignment is a body that is not functioning at full capacity. Think of it like your car. When a car is out of alignment everything is affected. Tires wear unevenly, suspension takes on additional wear and tear, and the car is difficult to drive. 

The same type of thing happens to your body when it is out of alignment. Spinal decompression is a treatment method where we can gently guide your body back into alignment. You then end up with less wear and tear and pain.

Benefit #3: Relieves pressure on spinal nerves

Pressure can be a good thing when you are trying to achieve your best in an athletic event. Pressure is not good when it is applied to your spinal nerves. Spinal nerves can get pinched and when they do the pain will radiate and you will be in nearly constant discomfort.

We have seen nerves pinched in discs and bones. Using spinal decompression we were able to guide the body to heal without surgery. Patients ended up in less pain and an improved quality of life.

Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine

Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask us if we are right for you. Located in Long Beach, CA we help individuals from Long Beach and the surrounding cities.

We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.

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