There was great interest at this past Monday’s Siskey YMCA Health Fair in Matthews, NC.  It was terrific to meet neighbors working hard to stay fit and healthy.  Most folks were headed to or had just finished their workouts when we fielded questions related to chiropractic, spinal stability, and Foot Levelers orthotics.  A full line of Foot Levelers Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers are available at Matthews Chiropractic Center.  Kim Johnson, LMBT, joined me to offer complimentary chair massages… her magical hands stayed busy start to finish.  The Siskey YMCA is a wonderful, buzzing, and well equipped facility.  Thank you to Sarah Duncan, RN, CCM (Siskey YMCA Health Nurse) for her coordinating efforts.

With temperatures dipping, local trees have sprung to life in shades of yellow, orange, and red, while the cool autumn breeze has strewn the leaves on our lawns.  Before you suit up to go out and gather the colorful foliage, I have a few precautions for you to bear in mind.

Playing in the Leaves is Fun, Raking Can Be More than a Chore

Raking leaves is one of those one-sided, repetitive activities that could upset the usual, happy balance in our backs.  Muscles in our back fire in unison to maintain our posture and allow us to do work, but toil in a manner that overworks one side, and this could lead to a real stiff back.

• First, beware working predominantly on one side of the body, like when raking, digging, loading the dishwasher, placing groceries in your car, or putting a child into a car seat.  If you are raking or digging, try to periodically switch the side of your body, where you are working. If you are raking, specifically, alternate between raking front to back and side to side (across your body), to prevent any one group of muscles from fatiguing.
• Split loading activities like packing the car’s truck or bagging those colorful leaves into separate squatting and bending movements.  Avoiding motions that simultaneously twist and bend the low back can help you steer clear of back pain.  Bending and rotating at the same time puts the spine in a position of weakness and increases the chances of injury – this is the mechanism that leads to many disc injuries.
• When bending or lifting, bend your knees to lift with your legs.  The legs are the strongest muscles in your body and using the legs can save your back.

If you should happen to upset the delicate balance of muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons that allow for all our movements, remember I’m here at Matthews Chiropractic Center to help make everything work better again.  And, if just the thought of raking your leaves makes your back ache and pain-free is not your status quo, then chiropractic care could be your remedy.

This past Saturday, October 24, I volunteered as part of the medical crew for Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Charlotte. Representing Matthews Chiropractic Center, I provided chiropractic adjustments to many sore and weary walkers.  These inspired women had walked 26 miles on Saturday and were planning to walk 13 miles more on Sunday.

I hope that my adjustments helped them rest easier and prepare for the last leg of their walk.  What wonderful efforts the walkers made to expand awareness, fund raise, and demonstrate their support through 39 miles of walking over two days to combat breast cancer.

Visit the Avon Foundation site to learn more and show your support.

Dr. Matthew Leibman and Kim Johnson, LBMT

Last Saturday, October 10, Matthews Chiropractic Center participated in the Lake Park Fall Festival in Indian Trail, NC.

People were curious about how chiropractic could help their neck pain, back pain, headaches, and other concerns. It was great to meet folks out on a lovely fall day and answer questions from our neighbors. Kim Johnson was on hand, offering massage, while I conversed on chiropractic.

Look for us again on November 2nd, from 9:00-11:00am, as Matthews Chiropractic Center takes part in a Community Health Fair at the Siskey YMCA in Matthews, NC.

If you have any questions about chiropractic care we’re always helpful at trying to find your answers and diagnose any problems you might have. Give us a call at 704-841-3833 or contact us today.

It seems like it’s hard these days to select a dish soap, hand soap or household cleaner that doesn’t tout anti-bacterial properties.  Check the active ingredients and you will likely find triclosan.  This compound is very useful for eliminating germs in hospitals, but many worry that widespread use will hamper its efficacy and contribute to further antibacterial resistance^[1].  For regular household use, antibiotics in these products are unnecessary.  Washing our hands with soap and water alone has been shown to remove dirt and germs alike and is supported by the Mayo Clinic^[2].

Overuse of Antibiotics Leads to Ineffectiveness

Of course, antibiotics have there place and can be invaluable in countering bacterial infections, but increasingly, they are losing their effectiveness.  Stronger and stronger medications are needed as patients and their doctors are faced with growing numbers of antibiotic-resistant superbugs.  Reasons for this problem include, but are not limited to, the unnecessary use of antibiotics in household products, antibiotic prescriptions for non-bacterial infections, and the use of antibiotics in food animals.  Repeated overuse of antibiotics selects for more virulent, drug-resistant strains of the organisms that we are trying to eliminate.

When you shop for hand soap, bath soap, hand lotions, dishwashing detergents, surface cleaners, toothbrushes, linens, towels, children’s toys and more, try to select items that are free of antibacterial agents (and possibly even environmentally friendly).  Sometimes it can be hard to find soaps, cleaners, and household goods untainted by antibacterial agents, but if you look carefully you can find them…

Know Your Food

Now, another place where you might not expect to find antibiotics is in your meat products.  Commercially raised chickens, pigs, cattle, dairy cows, and others contain antibiotics in their feed as part of their normal diet.  Buying locally raised meat and chicken at a local farmers’ market is a good way to avoid antibiotics, as well as, growth hormone and other fillers.  Visit the Matthews Community Farmers’ Market on North Trade Street, in Downtown Matthews, NC for fresh, locally produced free-range eggs, pastured pork, grass-fed beef, produce, and more.  Come shop with your neighbors, support the local community, and save antibiotics for treating bacterial infections.

1. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no3_supp/levy.htm [↩]
2. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hand-washing/HQ00407 [↩]