SOHMA Integrative Medicine

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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 Benefits of Medical Massages

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A professional Medical can have many positive impacts on the body and your health

Before getting into the benefits of medical massages, first we need to differentiate between a regular massage and a medical massage. A normal massage will usually focus on relieving tension in the soft tissue, and is generally used to relax and reduce stress in the body. Generally speaking a traditional massage will be pleasant but won’t really address the same things that a medical massage will.

A medical massage, also known as a deep tissue massage can cause discomfort and a little bit of pain in some people, however it has been described as a “good pain” where the patient feels relief alongside the discomfort. Today we’re going to go over 5 benefits of medical massages.

Pain Management

Medical massages is a non-pharmaceutical alternative to pain management. Medical massage techniques tend to be slower and use more strength in order to target the deeper layers of hurt or injured muscle and connective tissue. Though commonly used to treat injuries, medical massages can also be used to loosen up muscle tension that can build up when suffering from chronic pain. Medical massages can also be used to treat pain caused by:

  • Lower Back Pain
  • Torticollis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Plantar Fasciitis

For chronic pain, medical massages have been shown to be as effective as some medications while being more cost effective.

Increased Mobility

When receiving regular medical massages, it can help break up scar tissue by promoting lymphatic circulation. The lymphatic system being your body’s way of getting rid of unnecessary byproducts of the body. This may improve range of motion and flexibility in the injured area.

Medical massages can be used to treat a variety of symptoms caused by arthritis including reduced mobility, pain in joints, stiffness and swelling. For people suffering from arthritis, massages with moderate pressure can reduce pain and tension making movement less painful.

Improves Heart Health

Blood pressure can be affected by tension, stress among other reasons. As previously stated, medical massages can be used to reduce both stress and tension. It has been shown to have a beneficial impact on systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure. They also increase the production of serotonin, which is the hormone that makes us feel happy and promotes a positive mood. A negative or stressful mood can produce hormones that can temporarily increase blood pressure.

Injury Rehabilitation

When injured, the soft tissue can become twisted or tense. A medical massage can help in stretching, loosening and straightening deep soft tissues causing pain. The increased blood circulation to the area can help decrease inflammation in the muscle or joint injured. Though often used to treat injuries related to sports, regular medical massages can help prevent muscle injuries and reduce muscle fatigue. Stretching connective tissue with medical massage helps improve circulation and promotes tissue repair.

Mental Health

Medical massages can reduce physical pain, tension and stress. By reducing the pain caused by these physical conditions it allows the patient to be more relaxed. Reducing heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen use may reduce mental stress and anxiety which are commonly associated with depression. It is believed that massages reduce levels of cortisol, known as the stress hormone. Massage therapy in general has been known to lower stress,  reduce anxiety and make people less irritable.

Sleeping helps the body recover physically and mentally. Poor sleep can lead to poor health which can make it harder to sleep. It has been shown that medical massages can improve sleep patterns in patients of all ages. Lack of sleep has been shown to be linked with anxiety disorder.  When able to rest properly patients notice an improvement in their mood. 

Medical massages may not be for everyone, though it being a low-risk treatment option means it’s available to most people dealing with stress and pain.

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.

Can Cupping Help with Anxiety?

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Undergoing cupping therapy has additional benefits for both the body and mind.

In recent years the importance of mental health has been made clear. Every day more and more people are being diagnosed with some kind of mental health condition like anxiety. Today we want to share with you how cupping therapy can help reduce anxiety and alleviate some of the stress that comes with it.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety has many forms of manifesting itself and acts differently depending on each person. Everyone feels anxious from time to time. It is normal for most people to have feelings of anxiety, it is the brain’s way of reacting to things that can be stressful. It is meant to alert you if there is any potential danger near. It is okay to feel anxious before making important decisions, when facing difficult work problems, or for students about to take a difficult test.

When anxiety becomes a mental health disorder is when you feel the symptoms of anxiety more regularly and more intensely. Excessive and constant worry and fear about everyday situations. Higher heart rates, hyperventilating, tension, exhaustion, and sweating can occur. Often causing panic attacks. You should seek your primary care provider if you can not work, complete daily tasks, find it difficult to maintain relationships, or are abusing substances. It’s important for us to know the degree of anxiety to properly treat each individual patient.

What is Cupping Therapy?

Cupping therapy is a Chinese traditional medicine when a small vacuum is formed within a cup whether by heating the cup or using a pump and placed atop the skin. The vacuum formed then sucks the skin into the cup along with the fascia, muscle, and other soft tissues. The cupping process causes vasodilation, which increases blood circulation to the treated areas. Removing stagnant toxins and circulating fresh oxygenated blood to the affected area. 

When performed by a well-trained practitioner such as the ones staffed at SOHMA Integrative Medicine in Lakewood and Long Beach CA, the risks and side effects are minimal. The only thing left behind is round marks left by the cup which can give an insight into how well the therapy is working. Darker marks may require more treatment in that area than lighter marks.

Cupping Therapy and Mental Health

You may be wondering how getting your skin and soft tissue pulled into a cup can help with anxiety. Cupping therapy helps indirectly by activating your parasympathetic nervous system as the cups glide over your body. The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for lowering your heart rate and helping with digestion. When active the parasympathetic nervous system produces a calm and relaxing feeling in your body and mind. This reaction can loosen tension in your body which may result in a reduction in stress and anxiety.

Additionally cupping therapy promotes better sleep quality by reducing pain and removing toxins from the body. Allowing for longer consistent sleep helps with mental and physical recovery. It is well documented that there is a correlation between the lack of sleep and people who are prone to suffering from anxiety. As well as people suffering from anxiety have a hard time staying asleep. Without the rejuvenating effects of a good night’s sleep, it is possible for people to spiral into an unhealthy cycle that can be dangerous for their mental health.

Is Cupping Therapy Right for You?

Cupping therapy is a safe practice although there are some exceptions. If you have bleeding disorders like Hemophilia or blood clotting issues like deep vein thrombosis. If you have a history of strokes or seizures you should ask about your condition before receiving cupping therapy. If you have skin conditions like psoriasis or eczema your skin may become irritated when having cupping therapy.

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.

Joint Injections for Knee Injuries

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Joint injections in knees can help increase recovery from injury and even improve ailments without surgery.

Your knees are some of the most important joints in your body. We use them to walk, run and jump. Keeping your knees healthy is one of the best ways to maintain mobility. Unfortunately as we age the risk of injuring our knees becomes greater. Knee injuries go farther than just a simple sprain where you can recover with some rest. 

In today’s article we’re going to go over what joint injections we offer at SOHMA of Long Beach and Lakewood CA, and what they can do to help you recover from knee injuries.

Knee Injuries that Joint Injections can Treat

Let me preface this by saying that joint injections do not treat all injuries. If there is a fracture or a severe tear you may require surgery however, post surgery joint injections have been shown to help recovery times. PRP therapy has been used by doctors to help patients heal faster after surgical procedures. It has been shown to shorten recovery times by days, in some cases even weeks.

Your knees are a major joint in the body, making it a common area to sustain injury. Some of the more common injuries that have been treated with HCTPs or PRP include:

  • Arthritis
  • Trauma
  • Ligament or Muscle Tear
  • Ligament or Muscle Strain
  • Muscle Pain
  • Inflammation
  • Chronic Knee Pain

Relatively minor accidents can result in knee injury. For older adults a slip or fall can cause life altering fractures or dislocation.

What are Joint Injections?

Starting off with the basics, joint injections are as the name suggests, they are injections that are used to help in recovery from joint conditions. At SOHMA we offer both Human Cellular Tissue Products (HCTPs) or Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP). HCTP injections can aid the body in healing damage on its own without the need for surgeries. Tissue can be regrown to its former strength and recover the functions in highly used areas of the body such the spine, hips, shoulder, knees and other major joints. In PRP therapy, blood is drawn from the patient into a vial and separated in a centrifuge. Once separated, we draw the PRP from the vail and use it in the treatment. Meaning its the patient’s own platelets being used in areas that need healing support like  muscles and joints.

Long Term Effects of Knee Injuries

As stated previously there are many different types of injuries one can sustain in the knees. Depending on the type of injury sustained, as well as how long the patient went without treatment, long term effects can vary. If left untreated, knee injuries can lead to many mobility problems, pain, and early onset of arthritis.

A decrease in range of motion of the knees can make you unable to bend the knee fully or completely straighten the knee out. When you lose mobility in your knees the decreased mobility makes running nearly impossible and walking becomes difficult and puts you at risk of further injury due to loss of balance. Sitting and standing from chairs can also become uncomfortable and difficult.

Arthritis usually is thought of as something that affects older adults. Due to it being associated with aging and natural wear and tear. Injury suffered at a young age has been shown to increase the risk of early onset osteoarthritis. Sport related injuries like ACL or meniscus tears are often associated with a form of post-traumatic form of osteoarthritis.

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.

Can You do Your Own Spinal Decompression at Home?

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Most of our waking hours are spent standing or sitting vertically. This means that your spine is regularly working against the force of gravity in order to keep posture upright. This pressure puts constant strain on your spine and causes it to become compressed. The compression on the vertebrae can put pressure on our spinal cord and its associated muscles. Which can cause discomfort and pain.

Today we’ll go over what spinal decompression is and if you should attempt to decompress your spine at home.

What is Spinal Decompression?

Spinal decompression is a non-surgical procedure that is used to relieve pressure that may be accumulated on the spinal cord. Including pressure that may be compressing nerve roots passing through or exiting from the spinal column. Ideally we would recommend coming into SOHMA of Long Beach and Lakewood CA where we offer Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression using a specialized decompression table called a spinal traction. You are fitted with a harness around your pelvis and abdomen. The Spinal Traction table is used to take pressure off of your spinal cord and vertebrae. It can also reposition those vertebrae naturally. For optimal benefits some patients may require as many as a couple months of treatment.

Can you decompress at home?

Of course there are ways to do spinal decompression at home, though your results may vary. There are exercises and stretches that you can do which work on the concept of spinal decompression to help give your lower back some relief. At SOHMA we recommend consulting with a healthcare professional before beginning any at home exercise routine. If these exercises and stretches are not suitable for you they may end up causing more pain.

At Home Spinal Decompression Stretches

There are many stretches that can be used to decompress your spine, below are 3 examples of simple stretches that can be done at home without the need of special equipment.

Overhead Stretches

A very simple exercise that can be done by most people. 

  1. Stand on even ground with your legs at shoulder’s length apart.
  2. Reach both of your arms over your head and interlock your fingers and straighten your elbows.
  3. While holding this position pretend to reach up and touch the sky.
  4. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds, determined by your comfort level.

Do this as needed throughout the day.

Child Pose

This stretch has provided many people lower back pain relief but it is more advanced. This will be performed on the floor so we recommend a yoga mat to make it more comfortable, though it is not necessary.

  1. Go onto your hands and knees to begin this stretch.
  2. Keep going down until your glutes touch your feet while on your knees.
  3. Bend over at your hips and reach forward with your hands on the floor.
  4. Based on your comfort levels, hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds.
  5. Repeat after a minute of rest between stretches.

The further forward you reach with your hands while stretching the more decompression you will feel.

Using Your Bed or Couch

You can use the edge of your bed or the hand rest of your couch to decompress your lower back.

  1. Using an additional pillow for extra comfort, lay it flat on your bed or couch. Making sure your knees are slightly off the ground.
  2. Your weight should be on your toes in order to relax your back and core muscles.
  3. Tuck your chin towards your chest and straighten your arms at the elbow.
  4. Reach forward with your hands and hold onto the surface of the couch or bed and try to pull yourself forward.
  5. Hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds depending on your comfort levels.
  6. After resting for a minute try to reach further than you did previously.

You’re going to feel a great stretch into your upper back that makes its way down to your tailbone. Also due to your position, you will feel a stretch from your hip to your knees.

There are many other factors that go into decompressing your spine. If you feel that the stretches are not relieving enough pain. You may require the use of a Spinal Traction table for Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression.

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.

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