Blog

Some people say sitting is the new smoking and, while it certainly has a case, I would put forth another candidate for the title: junk food. The processed foods of the meats-and-sweets heavy “Western diet,” do damage to just about every organ in the body and are linked to dangerous conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. “But it tastes so good and takes no time to prepare!” I hear you saying. In essence, this response means that you are choosing the temporary appeasement of your brain’s reward complex over the long-term health of your body. When we consume junk food, we are consuming only the bare essentials necessary for the body to keep processing, but none of the nutrients it needs to prosper. And what’s more, it’s making us irritable, lazy and decreasing our brain function at the same time. Conventional wisdom has gone against junk food for a while and, with the advent of the internet, there is more information and momentum than ever in the push back against junk food’s domination of our food culture. But even as the paradigm shifts, the cravings still persist.

At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we believe that getting people excited about their own well-being is the surest way to keep them involved in the success of any health initiative they take on. Turning your back on junk food is not as difficult as you may think, but it does start with some concerted effort. 

• Make a plan with a reason: “I want to live longer, with less chance of disease and chronic pain,” may be not a good enough reason for you, but what is? Do you want to look better, perform better at work or in school. Ask yourself at a very deep level what your reasons could be and how your life could benefit from quitting junk food. Then create a plan centered around what kind of food you will eat and cook that will still satisfy your taste buds but not include all the extra negatives.
• Control yourself and your environment: this may mean making difficult decisions such as not taking that standard left turn into the McDonald’s drive-thru; not picking up the candy from the convenience rack at the grocery check-out, etc. 
• Let yourself be bad: once a week, allow yourself to break and have junk food. Call it a “reward,” if you like, but in this way you don’t completely deny yourself. Humans have a tendency to resent the notion that they are absolutely not allowed to have something. However, you will find that very quickly (in a matter of weeks), your body will adapt and develop a taste for the new healthy foods you have been eating. 

The power is within you to leave the junk food behind and start on a path toward better health and longevity. Often all it takes is a conversation to help you get started and stay involved; with this, we can help. Along with our chiropractic treatment, we can help keep you accountable and motivated to achieve great changes.

Stress is an animalistic response complex that morphed into something more serious for humans who have the ability to internalize the symptoms, the feelings, the emotional and physical pain that comes along with it. It is a chemical reaction induced by the feeling of perceived threats, in which the nervous system opens a floodgate of stress hormones including cortisol and adrenaline. While this is useful for emergency or high pressure situations, consistently high levels of stress hormones can lead to problems which put your health at risk. At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we believe in helping people find the true source of their stress, healing it naturally, and establishing systems that will help prevent and manage stress as it comes and one way we have found to be truly effective is with stretching. The next time you feel overwhelmed, give this one a shot:

• Wall roll-down: Stand with back against the wall, feet hip width apart and a foot from the wall. Inhale and press your entire back against the wall. As you exhale, roll down the wall until only your tailbone and buttocks are touching. From this position, let your arms hang and take deep breaths as you feel the relaxation that comes to your neck, shoulders and back.

Mental stress translates to physical tension, especially in the muscles and connective tissue in the back, shoulders and neck- it can literally leave you in knots, of the kind that can be released through trigger point therapy. At our office in Sacramento, we utilize hands-on modalities that release problem points from tension and promotes relaxation. Along the way, we correct spinal imbalance, regulate the nervous system and fight inflammation. With someone looking after your body in this way, you have a strong foothold from which to fight back against daily stress. 

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C. 

Stress management means something different to everyone: some people bury it away until they burst; others exercise to let it go and feel an endorphin boost; others will just settle down by watching cat videos on YouTube. Whatever your unique stress management plan, the essential thing is that you have one. At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we want to help you find ways to manage your stress before it boils over and one great technique for doing this is through diet. We are not suggesting a radical diet change, but rather a few simple foods that can help fight back against the stress using natural means! 

• Green Tea: for the anti-oxidants and L-Theanine, a chemical which inhibits anger and promotes relaxation. 
• Celery: to lower blood pressure, which is an important part of relaxation.
• Honey: for tryptophan and potassium, it is a boost for both the body and brain. 
• Dark Chocolate: contains hormones that balance stress in the brain, tastes delicious and makes you happy. 
• Gum: more specifically, the act of chewing it, which, studies show, lowers cortisol levels and reduces stress.

At our office in Sacramento, we focus on the root causes of your stress, beginning with a discussion and a musculoskeletal examination that will determine if there are any structural or muscular causes that may be contributing. As we begin to heal your body, the brain will inevitably follow, so we encourage you to not let stress stew insidiously in your life any longer- instead, give our office in Sacramento a call so we can start addressing your stress today! 

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C. 

Everyone knows that person who, “thrives under pressure,” the one who can deliver no matter how much is piled on. And while the brain does work harder under pressure, it doesn’t necessarily work better. Procrastination is innate; there is a tendency for humans to disassociate from how waiting for work to pile up til the last minute will affect their future self. Sometimes we won’t even work until the reward is literally looming before us (i.e. the next day.) This is a perilous way to live, and one that leads a lot of people into lives of chronic stress and muscle tension. Rather than joining in this legion of stressed out, stress-hungry people, we encourage you to try being proactive about stress and managing it to your benefit. Here are some techniques that can be used in the office: 

• Squeeze a stress ball: take it out on the ball, let it absorb all your tension.
• Cool down: stress has a way of making our blood boil, leading to distraction and anger that can be counter-productive. A great way to combat this is by putting a cool towel over your wrists. 
• Massage yourself: Acupressure points are great for releasing tension, but sometimes just rubbing your hands can do wonders. If you can, roll your shoulders and neck around a few times to dispel the tension that accumulates during a day seated at work. 
• Chew gum: masticating is powerful; clinical studies show that chewing gum lowers anxiety levels. 

The point is this: next time you are grinding through a day of work with a deadline looming large, instead of pushing on to the point of breaking, grab a piece of gum and chew, bust out a doodle to stimulate your creative side and reward complex, or take a vigorous walk outside to get some refreshing exercise in the sunshine, and then try pushing on. I promise you your productivity will go up without the accompanying stress. The time spent doing this will be recompensed by the boost in productivity and you will still meet your deadline, just with less brain damage, and that is totally worth it! For help on managing stress in all phases of life, give our office a call to schedule an appointment today. 

A paradox exists in American society where we have more information available at a moment’s notice than ever regarding health and wellness, yet we are somehow languishing with high obesity and insomnia rates, pervasive poor posture and an earlier onset of spinal conditions due to the shift to more screen-oriented settings in both our recreation preferences and job options. Whoever you are on this spectrum, from the gym-body to the home-body, we believe that your wellness can always use a little more optimization, of the kind we provide at Espinosa Family Chiropractic and of the kind that can be found by simply moving. Chiropractic and exercise (in its varying forms) are complimentary, and impact your wellness in the following way: 

• More resilience to injury
• Enhanced balance and coordination
• Increased strength
• Improved respiratory function
• Increased flexibility and range of motion
• Increased endurance 

So what is holding you back? Often all it takes is a conversation with a skilled practitioner to start overcoming your limitations and get back to a life of purposeful movement. At our office in Sacramento, we provide chiropractic adjustment, trigger point therapy, and spinal decompression modalities to relieve your pain and get you back on your feet. Pain is an inevitability of age as our bodies slow down, but there are steps that can be taken, even from the couch that will keep you happy and healthy moving forward. 

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C. 

Why is breathing important could be the most critical question you ask yourself today. It is an automatic process that we perform up to 20,000 times a day. Through the process of cellular respiration, every cell in the body inhales oxygen and exhales carbon dioxide. Essentially, the cells need a constantly refreshing supply of oxygen to produce the energy that keeps you going. An impaired flow of oxygen can lead to cellular dysfunction, damage and cell die-off. Cognitive function, emotional well-being, physical performance, and sleeping are the most essential parts of the body’s daily existence and all of these can be made better or worse by respiration. At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we want to help you breathe well and often, so that all the essential functions of your body can benefit. 

Chiropractic’s role in breathing centers around the diaphragm, the dome-shaped sheet of muscle that controls our breathing patterns. This sheet of muscle also separates the chest from the abdomen and its function is closely linked to the health and stability of the spine. When you breathe in, this muscle contracts until it reaches the top of the abdomen, at which point the lower ribs lift and the thoracic cavity expands; this entire process is crucial to receiving a full breath of air.

This process can be impeded by a number of factors including weakness or overuse of the accessory muscles, poor posture, lack of awareness about proper breathing techniques, or injuries that prevent you from taking a full breath. So the real question you should ask yourself is: are you getting enough oxygen with each breath. At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we would like to see everyone breathing at their full potential. If you need help in this endeavor, give our office in Sacramento a call and schedule an appointment today. 

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C. 

The piriformis is a muscle that runs adjacent to the sciatic nerve, underneath the glutes, and the muscle’s proximity to the nerve is why sciatica is commonly associated with piriformis syndrome (PS). Piriformis syndrome commonly befalls runners and characteristically feels like a dull aching or soreness in the butt, stiffness in the region around the base of the spine and at the tops of the femurs made worse by sitting for long periods of time. PS can also cause sciatica when a dysfunction with the muscle puts the sciatic nerve under pressure. If no other reasonable cause for the sciatica can be determined through MRI or CT scans  (i.e. herniated disc, abnormalities in the lower vertebrae, or degenerative bone diseases), it is worth considering piriformis syndrome as the cause of your recurrent sciatica. For people diagnosed with sciatica derived from PS, chiropractic treatment is excellent for correcting dysfunction in the muscle and easing the tension and pain associated with sciatica. 

There are certain stretches such as the piriformis stretch and the straight-leg raise stretch that put the piriformis muscle under tension and can help us determine exactly what is misfiring. At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we focus on releasing the region from tension with trigger point therapy and utilize stretching and strengthening exercises that help to improve range of motion and keep the piriformis muscle from impinging on the sciatic nerve. 

If we can simultaneously strengthen the muscle while releasing the chronic tightness, we can make significant improvements in the functioning of the piriformis muscle and thus, alleviate symptoms of sciatica that may be associated. 

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C. 

The pain of sciatica can be nightmarish: tingling and numbness in the lower extremities, pain and stiffness in the lower back; it can be difficult enough just to stand up out of bed. What if there was a way to quickly alleviate some of the pressure from your sciatic nerve so you could get on with your day? Stretching is the most reasonable answer, and there are specific stretches that can be done from your bedroom to help you start off the day or wind it down and get to sleep. As with any stretching routine, the emphasis should be on consistency: repeating these stretches regularly helps to condition the tissues surrounding the issue to combat stiffness and pain. 

When your muscles are tight, such as the piriformis, which runs under the glutes, it can cause impingement to the sciatic nerve. Through stretching, we can release these muscles and thus, the sciatic nerve, from tension.

1. Lie supine with legs extended and lift your right leg in the air, supporting it with your hands. 

• Pull your right knee across your body toward the opposite shoulder.
• Once you reach a point of resistance, hold for 30 seconds and release.
• Switch legs, 3 reps per leg. 

2. Lie supine with knees bent and feet flat. 

• Lift the right leg and cross the ankle over the left knee.
• With both hands, pull from behind the left knee, lifting your legs toward the chest while simultaneously pushing the right knee away from the chest. 
• This motion should create a resistance; don’t push unto pain. 
• Hold 30 seconds, then release.
• Repeat 3 times with each leg.

Muscle tension is an unavoidable reality as we get older. However, if it is causing you sciatic nerve pain, it is worth doing something! Sciatica can be caused by a number of conditions including subluxation, herniated disc and muscle strain. At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we are experts in helping people fight back against the incursion of sciatica in their life; give our office a call and schedule an appointment to find out how we can help you today!

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C.

The stiff neck is a syndrome of adulthood; as we get older and our bodies tighten, a natural outcome is a stiff and sore neck with no discernible cause. Common examples of this condition include the dull and persistent pain that plagues people at work (and after work), waking up with a crick in the neck, or feeling stiff and sore when you wake up. In fact, nonspecific neck pain is the most common cause for neck complaints and it is almost always due to mechanical and postural dysfunctions.

If you are feeling a pain the neck, we look between the occipital bone, cervical and thoracic vertebrae and the shoulder joint for dysfunction. Common symptoms include restricted range of motion, stiffness, pain which can spread to the arms and fingers and sometimes the pins and needles sensation which indicates nerve irritation. The body can resolve most incidences of neck pain by itself in a matter of week given enough attention to rest and rehabilitation.  At our office in Sacramento, we use modalities including chiropractic adjustment, massage and trigger point therapy and spinal traction to respond to your specific condition. We can show you gentle exercises and stretches and offer nutrition and posture counseling to help you join in the fight for your neck’s health

Nonspecific neck pain is a major cause for disability in America and at Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we recognize that it does not have to be this way! Taking the health of your neck (and the rest of your body) seriously means being proactive about keeping muscles supple, vertebrae in alignment and managing the mental and physical stress that accumulates throughout life.

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C.