How to save $900,000

Numerous recent studies show that maintenance and wellness chiropractic care saves patients, employers, and insurers lots of money. Get your own personal savings in our office, and increase your odds for a long, healthy, and happy life.

My wish for you for the New Year!

Design and Build Your Own $39 Treadmill Desk

For several years I've been singing the praises of getting up out of your chair when working at a computer. Recent research shows (see previous posting) that morbidity and mortality greatly increase with sitting more than four hours per day, even with a good exercise routine.

What to do?

Get a treadmill and build yourself a simple desk over it, so that you can walk while you're at your computer. There are $5,000 systems on the market, but here's a way to do it for just $39.

In-Office Alexander Technique Class

In 1973 I began my explorations into the realm of mind-body awareness with a class at the University of Minnesota in the Alexander Technique. It became the basis for everything I learned after that. I highly recommend study of Alexander's discoveries to anyone who would like to learn how to live with more grace in all activities, whether that's singing a song or typing at the computer.

Practice member and long-time teacher of the Alexander Technique, Stacy Gehman, is offering a 4-week session of classes in our office.

The classes will be on 4 Mondays, 7 PM - 8:30 PM, Oct. 17 - Nov. 7, 2011
Tuition: $75.

For details and to register for the classes, contact Stacy at StacyG@drizzle.com

Your Body Becomes More Self-Correcting

One of the promises of Network Care is that over time your ability to self-correct, spontaneously, becomes more and more refined. I see this happening over and over with practice members. One such practice member recently shared this testimonial. "When I first started seeing Dr. Connie I would get neck aches that would last for a few days at times. Through her care, I get fewer aches and when I do I normally just have to go home and stretch and they go away!"

Photo of the Day!

Swimming in September? A rare treat. Swimming on September 29? Never before. But the weather was balmy and I couldn't resist one last dip into Lake Washington. The water was crystal clear, the sun was warm(ish), and the water was about how it had been all summer long, in other words pretty cold! John was reading a book at a picnic table in the shade, in case I had heart attack. A Seattle Times staff photographer got down on his belly on the shoreline to get the shot.

SSRIs & NSAIDs cancel each other out

Dr. Shawn Talbott's latest e-newsletter warrants a full quote:

"Back in April, I wrote on my blog about a new study in the highly-respected scientific journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that showed how common painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) can interfere with the effects of antidepressant medications called SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, Luvox, and many others.

"I've received so many followup questions about the links between stress (and depression) and inflammation (and pain), that I thought I would update that original blog article and send the update out to the TALBOTT TIMES Newsletter.

"You can read the abstract of the PNAS study here =http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/04/20/1104836108.abstract

"The new research showed that the anti-depression benefits of SSRI drugs were "cancelled out" when taken along with painkillers (called NSAIDs for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). NSAIDs cancel out SSRIs - sounds like a lot of alphabet soup - but millions and millions of people take BOTH types of drugs everyday - so this is important research.

"We've known for a long time that depression and chronic pain are closely related in many ways. Both conditions share some of the same underlying biochemistry (related to stress hormones such as cortisol and inflammatory compounds such as cytokines) and people with depression tend to experience more episodes of chronic pain (and vice versa). Indeed, physical pain can undoubtedly make psychological pain (depression) worse - likely due to the finding that inflammation is known to worsen and perhaps evencause depression in many people. You might find it interesting to know that cytokines (inflammatory hormone-like chemicals produced in the body)

"Conventional wisdom would suggest that controlling depression might also help to control pain - and that reducing pain would help to alleviate depression. However, the research findings in the PNAS article suggest that painkiller drugs may actually interfere with the activity of antidepressant drugs - potentially making depression worse.

"I have written about the numerous problems with antidepressant drugs HEREand HERE as well as the problems associated with painkillers HERE - and now we have new evidence of further problems when they are used together.

"I also cover the links between inflammation and stress in some detail (full chapters on each) in my upcoming book, The Secret of Vigor - How to Overcome Burnout, Restore Metabolic Balance, and Reclaim Your Natural Energy - which will be released on 11/11/11. You can pre-order a copy from Amazon.com here."

Get Up!

A new study from the American Cancer Society shows that your risk of death is dependent on number of hours spent sitting, not just overall activity or inactivity, particularly for women.

• Women who reported more than six hours per day of sitting were 37% more likely to die during the study period than those who sat fewer than three hours a day.
• Men who sat more than six hours daily were 18% more likely to die than those who sat fewer than three hours per day.

When combined with lack of physical activity, the association was even stronger. Women and men who both sat more and were less physically active were 94% and 48% more likely, respectively, to die compared with those who reported sitting the least and being most active.

Source: "Leisure Time Spent Sitting in Relation to Total lMortality in a Prospective Cohort of US Adults." Alpa V Patel, Leslie Bernstein, Anusila Deka, Heather Spencer Feigelson, Peter T Campbell, Susan M Gapstur, Grahm A Colditz, and Michael J Thun. Am J Epid Published online July 22, 2010 9DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwq155) as quoted in the August, 2011, issue of The Chiropractic Journal.

The authors conclude that "public health messages and guidelines should be refined to include reducing time spent sitting in addition to promoting physical activity."

The Mayo Clinic's N.E.A.T. lab recommends setting up a monitor and keyboard station over a treadmill and then walking at a rate of one mile per hour while working -- better for your body, and you'll think better, too!

New Testimonial

Check out our "testimonials" section for a new entry. Who do you know who needs a lifeline? We can help turn people's lives from despair to hope, from sickness to health, from illness to wellness!

Latest Laser Research

Low level laser therapy research covers lots of territory! Three recent studies show:

1. Improved quality of life for patients receiving radiation treatment for head and neck cancers;
2. Significantly decreased damage to heart tissue in experimental animals in whom heart attacks had been induced the previous day; and
3. Greatly increased range of motion in patients with shoulder impingement when compared with exercise alone.

Free Wellness Screening

Join us for a free Wellness Screening on Saturday, June 18, 11:30am-2:30pm at the Rudolph Steiner Bookstore (9727 Lake City Way). Call the store (206-985-2059) to schedule your appointment.

In evaluating our well-being, we always need to consider all three sides of the Health Triangle: physical, mental/emotional, and chemical. Three simple tests serve as screening tools to find out how any of these stresses may have impacted your health. The screening will include a Stress Survey plus Blood Pressure/Hormonal Stress, Toxicity, and Trigger Point tests.

Fundraiser-for-Japan Spa Day

Relaxation For You-Relief For Japan-Healing for Everyone: As we watched the images of suffering and devastation in Japan on the heels of the earthquake and tsunami, we decided to put our concern into action by supporting the UW Japanese Student Association's fundraising efforts with a Spa Day on April 1, from 4:00-8:00pm.

Here's the schedule of hands-on healing and classes and the donation amount for each:

4:00-8:00pm

15-minute seated Shiatsu (Nik Kanetomi) $5

15-minute Network chiropractic (Dr. Connie Amundson) $10

5-minute low level laser therapy (John Kanetomi) $5

1-hour Swedish massage-$30 (Sandy Matthews, LMP) $30

4:00-5:00pm

30-minute Alexander Technique classes--$5 (Catherine Kettrick, PhD, and David Mills, PhD) $5

1-hour Cranial-Sacral Therapy--$30 (Barbara Coon, LMP) (already booked!) $30

5:00-8:00pm

30-minute Reiki, Polarity Therapy, and Aromatherapy (Kate Bromley, LMP) $15

5:00-6:00pm

30-minute Qi Gong (Shoko Zama) $5

30-minute Tai Chi (Shoko Zama) $5

6:00-7:00pm

30-minute Yoga (Carol Levin) $5

7:00-8:00pm

30-minute Pilates (Cherie Boschma, BFA) $5

Here's how it works:

• Make a donation at the JSA's dedicated website
• Print your receipt
• Schedule your appointment(s) by contacting Dr. Connie at 206-658-7658 or DrAmundson (at) gmail (dot) com
• Bring your receipt on April 1 to "purchase" your services (donations may also be made at the event and additional services may be scheduled on a space-available basis)

We'll see you on the 1st!

FREE CLINIC: Fresh Ideas Gait Clinic for Runners

Runners, would you like to move with the ease you felt as a kid?

• Do you feel frustrated by injuries forcing you to the sidelines?
• Are you concerned about the long-term effects of chronic foot, knee, hip, back or neck pain?
• Have you tried expensive custom orthotics with limited success?
• Are you inspired to run with minimalist shoes or even barefoot, but wondering what to do about your pronation or supination?

We've got low-cost solutions that work with conventional, minimalist, and 5-fingered running shoes, and for barefoot activities such as pilates, yoga, and martial arts. Get off on the right foot and sign up today for our FREE CLINIC on Saturday, March 12, 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Location: Ki Chiropractic & Massage, 3511 NE 105th Street, Seattle, WA 98125

ADVANCED REGISTRATION REQUIRED (include your name, contact info, and shoe size)

Call or text: 206-658-7658

Email: DrAmundson (at) gmail (dot) com

Online: TeachStreet listing

Co-sponsored by MortonsFoot.com

Laser therapy enhances strength training

Low level laser therapy (LLLT) has been documented to optimize human muscle performance with physical exercise. This study tested the effect of LLLT on physical strength training compared with strength training only.

The study involved 36 healthy, fit men using an 808 nm continuous wavelength laser, much like what we use in our office. The LLLT men showed an increase of 55% in strength on isokinetic dynamometry, significantly higher than the increases with exercise alone. Soon we may see LLLT commonly used to improve sports performance.

(Lasers Med Sci. 2010 Nov 18)

Happy New Year!

All of here at Ki Chiropractic and Massage wish you the very best health in 2011! Staying healthy is a practice, and I often think of my body as a very strict Zen master. It gives me immediate feedback about how I'm doing. Right now I have the sniffles, and I'm reminded to put myself to bed earlier on a consistent basis! There's nothing like restful sleep to restore vitality, so I'll add restful sleep to my wish for you all.