It seems almost impossible to buy a TV now that is not 3D compatible.  Have you tried out the 3D TVs? What do you think? For some, the novelty is worth the purchase. However, what if you went out and bought a 3D TV, brought it home, set it up, got your popcorn and snacks all ready to watch a movie or a football game, put the oh-so-sharp-looking glasses on only to become dizzy, nauseous, and disoriented while watching the  3D images jumping out at you?  For a small population, this is reality.

Your body relies on three senses to orient itself in space: vision, hearing, and proprioception. Many people can get away with utilizing only two of these senses, for instance, when there is a dysfunction with the third sense.  Many times, the dysfunction is found in proprioception.  Some people can even go their whole lives without noticing it or at least with minimal disturbance in their lives by heavily relying on the other two systems. 

What does this have to do with the 3D TVs, you ask? 3D TVs “trick” your brain through the visual input by distorting the picture from 2D to 3D.  The caveat: If your proprioceptive sense is not what it should be and your brain relies on the visual sense more than it should, then you might be that small population that will have dizziness, nausea, and disorientation while watching 3D TV. Make sure you test it out before you make the investment.

Do you ever have dizziness, ringing in your ears, trouble balancing, been diagnosed with vertigo, or constantly feel like you are on a boat? If so, schedule an appointment with one of our doctors who can help your condition.

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The start of a new year brings new resolutions and goals.  The resolution to “lose weight” or “get into shape” seems to be most prevalent.  However, if exercising or working out is new to you or you are not properly trained, your motivation to get into shape might actually be causing you more harm than good.  Need some pointers? MSNBC released an article revealing the most common weight room mistakes and how to fix these mistakes.


Mistake #1: Skipping Your Warm-Up

When muscles are not properly warmed up, injuries result. Therefore, it is important to stretch the area you are about to work before you exercise.

The Fix: For instance, if you are going to run, walk for 5-10 minutes to get the muscles primed for the exercise.  In addition, if you are going to perform strength training on your upper body, do a few push-ups after a quick 10 minute aerobic warm-up before doing sets.

Mistake #2: Sloppy Form

Proper alignment and form is imperative to exercise.  In order to gain the most benefit from strength training, proper joint alignment is essential to isolating muscles.  If you have poor form, you recruit synergistic muscles (muscles that assist the primary muscle in the movement) which reinforces improper movement patterns and makes it harder to tone up.  For example when performing upper body training, there is a tendency to raise the shoulders to recruit those “assistance muscles” if the weights are too heavy or if you are not ready to perform this movement.  By bringing the shoulders down and backwards, you create proper shoulder joint alignment, which creates proper muscle alignment necessary to isolate arm muscles for strength training.  Not only do you not get the most “bang for your buck,” but improper form can lead to injuries including sprains, strains, and tears.

The Fix:  Get a good base, engage the core, and focus on the muscle you are exercising.  Stand feet underneath hips, knees in line with second toe, shoulders down and back, eyes straight forward, and head on top of shoulders. 

Mistake #3: Neglecting Opposing Muscle Groups

For those toned and defined arms, many people focus on the bicep muscles.  The opposing muscle group is the tricep muscles; however, not everyone works this antagonistic muscle group as much as they would work the bicep group. This leads to muscle imbalance, altered joint alignment, and weakened stabilizing muscles, all of which can all lead to injuries.

The Fix:  Work those opposing groups! If you perform strength training for the chest, make sure you hit your back muscles the next session.  The same principle goes for legs; work the front muscles (quadriceps) one session, then work the back legs (hamstrings) the following session.

As always, if you are starting a new exercise routine or are thinking about starting one, consult the physicians at ACCR for tips and suggestions. Whether it be nutritional counseling, dietary supplementation, or proper form and work-out routines, we are happy to help you along your path to fitness. 

For more mistakes and tips to correct these mistakes, check out the complete MSNBC article by clicking the link below. 

Ouch! Weight room blunders that can really hurt

_ My initial interest in complementary and alternative medicine began as a result of learning about the concept of disease prevention.  Instead of employing the “band-aid” approach, which utilize treatments after the disease has already wreaked havoc on the body, doctors and patients should together take a more active role in disease prevention.  As a chiropractic physician and a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioner in Illinois, I received – and through continuing education, continue to receive - extensive training in preventative medicine. As the name implies, the physicians at Active Care Chiropractic & Rehabilitation, LTD. (ACCR) encourage each patient to take an active role in his or her health through education, exercise and rehabilitation, dietary modification, and lifestyle changes. 

As a primary care physician in Illinois, I have the tools to treat heart disease complementarily with allopathic physicians or as an alternative to prescription medicines that have far too many negative side effects.  The chiropractic adjustment is a powerful tool that can help to regulate blood pressure by affecting the nervous system, which can assist in heart disease prevention and regulation. Acupuncture is an ancient practice that has been utilized to correct and prevent high blood pressure, reduce stress, establish or maintain healthy sleep cycles, and regulate hormone levels which can all lead to weight loss, increased energy, improved mood, and a reduction or elimination of current medication intake.  For every condition, whether it is shoulder pain, migraines, or food allergies, patient education is an integral tool at ACCR. Through one-on-one counseling or in-office health discussions such as “lunch with the doc” with patients, friends, and family, patients gain knowledge and therefore develop the tools to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Along those lines, nutritional counseling empowers the patient with the knowledge to make healthy food choices, thereby stabilizing blood sugar levels, decreasing cholesterol, many times reversing diabetes, with the added benefit of weight-loss and heart disease prevention. Whether the patient is an elite runner or whether walking up a flight of stairs is a strenuous task, a unique exercise and rehabilitation plan is designed for every patient at ACCR with the patient’s individual level of physical fitness always in mind.   Many medical grade supplements and botanicals work similarly to the common prescriptions utilized in “bad cholesterol” (LDL) reduction or blood sugar regulation in diabetes, but actually increase the “good cholesterol” (HDLs) and don’t cause the negative side effects medications can cause. The physicians at ACCR utilize a “whole health” approach to patient care, which is reflected in the various tools the physicians employ while treating patients.