The Disease of Kings

What is gout? 

Gout, a form of arthritis, is known by this moniker because some of the habits of royalty, such as the overconsumption of meats, alcohol, and fructose sweetened drinks.  This inflammatory arthritis is caused by an increase in the uric acid in a person’s bloodstream over an extended period of time.  Although, diet plays a significant part in the occurrence of this ailment, other factors can include being prone to it hereditarily (through your family) as well as the underexcretion of urate.  

When someone is affected by gout, they will often have symptoms that manifest rather rapidly and often overnight.  

Symptoms will typically consist of a hot, tender, swollen joint, most often in the big toe region.  I have a family member who has attacks of gout and he tells me that even something as light as a bed sheet can cause excruciating pain if it comes in contact with the affected area.  If gout is left untreated or not prevented, repetitive attacks can at times lead to deformities of the affected joints caused by a hardening and buildup of the uric acid crystals, called tophi. 

There is good news however, that often times gout can be controlled with dietary and exercise habit changes.  

A diet more plentiful with Vitamin C and fruits and vegetables can help prevent the factors that would lead to a uric acid build-up.  Also, daily physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight can stave off the gout by reducing risk factors that could lead to insulin resistance. 

If you think that you could possibly have gout, feel free to talk to Dr. Kmett further about your concerns.

If you have more questions about to get in shape fast, contact us at 301-624-0024 or sign-up at www.ValleyChiropracticRehab.com for a free consultation!

Valley Chiropractic maintains an active presence on many popular search and social media websites. Select your favorite website below to stay connected or review us.

Valley Chiropractic

4 S. McCain Dr., #8 

Frederick, MD 21703

301-624-0024 

www.valleychiropracticrehab.com

        

Start the Year Off Safe!

With the New Year set to begin, everyone will be making promises to get in shape this year.  When you arrive at the gym, it'll take you about 10 seconds to look around and find someone performing an exercise incorrectly. Fortunately, this doesn't have to be you.  Before worrying about how much weight you can lift or how long you can go on the elliptical, make sure that your technique for each exercise is spot on.  If you use sloppy form, the chances for injury increases exponentially because you are not allowing your body to have the proper mechanical advantage over the weight or machine that you are utilizing.  Starting with this week’s blog, we will be shining the spotlight on various exercises and the common errors that should be avoided when performing them.  

This week’s exercise is the close grip upright row. 

This exercise is typically done using a barbell, a cambered bar, or even a cable apparatus.  The exercise begins with a closer than shoulder width overhand grip. Utilizing the deltoid (shoulder) muscles and the upper trapezius muscles, the weight is often pulled upward towards the chin with the elbows finishing pointed upwards.  However, performing this exercise this way can cause many shoulder and wrist injuries.  Typically, the hand placement and finishing position place a large amount of stress on the rotator cuff muscles and tendons of the shoulders by impinging (pinching) them within the shoulder joint. 

A Better Alternative 

A better alternative to this exercise is performing it with a wide overhand grip using a cambered bar or dumbbells.  Keeping the forearms pointed down throughout the movement; raise the weight until the elbows are parallel with the floor.  This prevents the impingement portion of the exercise by not compromising the shoulder joint and allowing the larger and stronger deltoid and trapezius muscles to perform the exercise.

If you have more questions about to get in shape fast, contact us at 301-624-0024 or sign-up at www.ValleyChiropracticRehab.com for a free consultation!

Valley Chiropractic maintains an active presence on many popular search and social media websites. Select your favorite website below to stay connected or review us.

Valley Chiropractic

4 S. McCain Dr., #8 

Frederick, MD 21703

301-624-0024 

www.valleychiropracticrehab.com

        

Meet the Official Team Chiropractors and Recovery Specialists of the Chesapeake Bowl '12

Dr. John Rosa and Dr. Rick Rosa were the official team Chiropractors and Recovery Specialists for the recent 3rd Annual Chesapeake Bowl FootballGame. The game was held immediately after Christmas on Saturday, December 29^th. The Chesapeake Bowl brings together all of the Gateway Seniors, which are the top recruited high school athletes in the Northeast. The regions represented at this year’s Chesapeake Bowl included Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia. All student athlete participants are fall 2013, 2014 and 2015 prospects for collegiate league football.

In order to prepare for the game, the area’s leading high school athletes are trained by both collegiate and NFL level players at the Chesapeake Bowl Selection Camp. After camp, only the most selective athletes are invited to play in the bowl.

Peter Rosa, class of 2014 was one of those athletes. Peter who is also the son of Dr. John Rosa is featured here (below) along with his Father and Uncle Dr. Rick Rosa at the Chesapeake Bowl game, this past December. Peter is kicker at St. John’s College High School and is a highly sought out recruit for many of the country’s leading universities.

During the game both Dr. John and Dr. Rick Rosa ensure athletes maintain proper recovery, hydration and health. 

But football is not the only sport where you will find the duo exhibiting sports recovery expertise, they have served as sports recovery specialist for a number of leagues including mixed martial arts, boxing, basketball, football, pro cycling and more. In fact, Dr. Rick Rosa travels the United States and the world to help athletes. Recently Dr. Rick Rosa served as the official cut-man, chiropractor and recovery specialist for the World Heavyweight Championship in Berne, Switzerland. Dr. Rick Rosa is also facilitating sports rehabilitation and recovery for the Pro Cycling team, Champion Systems, mid January 2013.

The doctors lead a 12 clinic chiropractic, physical therapy and sport rehabilitation medical group, which is comprised of 16 licensed Chiropractors with physical therapy privileges, serving the DC/MD/VA metropolitan area called Accessible Beltway Clinics. The Doctors of Chiropractic atAccessible Beltway Clinics are elite in their profession, and have been the exclusive and/or preferred chiropractors for professional and Olympic level athletes and athletic teams, including Team Colavita Cycling, Team Lloyd Irvin Mixed Martial Arts, Team Champion Systems Pro Cycling, the Washington Wizards and more.

To learn more about Accessible Beltway Clinics and RecoveryDoc, please visit:

www.abcclinics.com

www.recoverydoc.net

YouTube

Get Rid of the Visceral Fat!

Have you been walking down the street lately and noticed a man’s belly pushing out excessively from underneath his coat?  More than likely, this man is suffering from a large build-up of visceral fat throughout his abdominal area.  What is visceral fat you ask?  Visceral fat is the type of fat that builds up and wraps around your organs including your heart, kidneys, liver, and pancreas.  This is a very dangerous fat because it can release inflammatory chemicals that can cause a variety of serious health problems and complications.  In comparison, there is also subcutaneous fat which builds up under the skin primarily and causes general, cosmetic issues in a person’s body.  Of the two, visceral fat is definitely more dangerous.  

So how do you rid your body of this visceral fat?

Along with proper diet and exercise, there are several things you can try to help target visceral fat.  First, try and avoid sugar, specifically fructose, if possible.  Most people think that fruit juices are healthy because they contain healthy words like apple, grape, etc.  In the raw form of actual fruits, yes, fructose can be healthy and beneficial.  But, when it comes to most fruit juices, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup is often added to the drink which creates dietary problems causing an increase in the amount of sugar that enters our body unnaturally.  This can lead to an increase in visceral fat. 

Another dietary change that you can make is the consumption of whole grain complex carbohydrates. 

Whole grains help you feel fuller longer because they take longer for the body to fully digest.  This helps us to avoid the cravings that we may have between meals in which we are more likely to indulge in unhealthy and unsatisfying fast food.  Also, since the whole grains take longer to digest, this allows your body to have a constant flow of nutrients, preventing sharp drops in blood glucose levels.

Along with dietary changes, there is a need for increased physical activity.

Even if you can commit 30 minutes a day to an activity you enjoy, it is a good starting point.  Eventually, you should incorporate exercises that will challenge your cardiovascular fitness such as treadmills, ellipticals, and recumbent bikes.  A great way to really target the visceral fat burning process is to incorporate interval training into your cardiovascular workouts.  This type of training utilizes short, intense bouts of training with a short to medium bout of recovery followed by an intense bout again.  This process is repeated for a specific time frame and helps your body to continue to burn fat even after you leave the gym for the day.

If you have more questions about getting rid of viseral fat, contact us at 301-624-0024 or sign-up at www.ValleyChiropracticRehab.com for a free consultation!

Valley Chiropractic maintains an active presence on many popular search and social media websites. Select your favorite website below to stay connected or review us.

Valley Chiropractic

4 S. McCain Dr., #8 

Frederick, MD 21703

301-624-0024 

www.valleychiropracticrehab.com

        

Breaking Down the Injury of a Rookie Phenom

RGIII's Injury

For those who follow the NFL, there have been some very exciting performances by a few rookies this year. Arguably, the most exciting play has been from Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, also known as RGIII. This past weekend in a win over the Baltimore Ravens, RGIII sustained a Grade 1 lateral collateral ligament (LCL) sprain of his right knee. Here is some information on what this type of injury entails.

Lateral Colateral Ligament (LCL)

Let's start with the ligament in question. The LCL is the ligament on the lateral, or outer portion of the knee joint. This ligament attaches the femur, which makes up the thigh, to the fibula which is a bone in the lateral portion of the lower leg. This ligament is responsible for providing stability to the lateral portion of the knee joints. Typically, the mechanism of injury to this ligament involves an external force suddenly being applied to the medial knee joint. This inside to outside trauma causes the ligament to be damaged at varying severities. In the case of RGIII, he sustained a Grade 1 sprain which is defined as stretching and micro tearing of the ligamentous structure.

Good News

The good news for Redskins fans everywhere is that this injury is not severe and RGIII may be suiting up for this weekend’s game. Recovery time for a Grade 1 LCL sprain can vary from 3 weeks to 3 months. However, with good quality conservative treatment such as chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy, Graston Technique and other therapeutic modalities, Valley Chiropractic can help get you back in the game too!

If you have more questions about breaking down the injury of a rookie phenom, contact us at 301-624-0024 or sign-up at www.ValleyChiropracticRehab.com for a free consultation!

Valley Chiropractic maintains an active presence on many popular search and social media websites. Select your favorite website below to stay connected or review us.

Valley Chiropractic

4 S. McCain Dr., #8 

Frederick, MD 21703

301-624-0024 

www.valleychiropracticrehab.com

        

Are Commercial Sports Drinks Toxic?

Recently a popular sports drink and its maker have been making national news for a food additive that may cause serious health side effects. This food additive, called brominated vegetable oil, sounds innocent enough and would often be overlooked by anyone reading the nutritional label on this drink. However, with a little research, one can see that this ingredient is not without controversy, not just in the U.S., but worldwide.

Brominated Vegetable Oil

Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is used in citrus flavored soft drinks and sports drinks. What it does is helps the natural citrus flavors stay suspended in the drink itself. If it were not added, there would be distinct layers created within the drink from the fat-soluble citrus flavors. So why is BVO so controversial? It has to do with the bromine contents of the additive. Bromine is a substance found in flame retardants that are used in upholstered furniture, clothing, and electronics. Brominated substances are bioaccumulative, meaning that they continue to build up within our bodies as they are ingested including being found in breast milk. Serious side effects include neurological and thyroid impairments.

BVO Banned

BVO is banned in many major countries including European nations, Japan, and India. However, it is approved for use in the U.S. and has been added to soft drinks for years. In 1970, the FDA took brominated vegetable oil off its list of it list of substances that are “generally recognized as safe.” During the 70’s some additional testing was done with mixed results. In 1977, the FDA made a temporary decision to allow BVO to be used in soft drinks but in low dosages. However, all these years later, BVO remains legal to use as an additive.

The use of sports drinks and soft drinks are of a concern for a variety of reasons including BVO. As a chiropractor and a believer in natural forms of healthcare, it is best to stick to natural foods and drinks throughout the day. Chemicals and additives in food products and processed foods have the potential to create numerous negative health effects and consequences. If you would like more information on healthy eating, feel free to talk to Dr. Kmett today! 

If you have more questions about commercial sports drinks, contact us at 301-624-0024 or sign-up at www.ValleyChiropracticRehab.com for a free consultation!

Valley Chiropractic maintains an active presence on many popular search and social media websites. Select your favorite website below to stay connected or review us.

Valley Chiropractic

4 S. McCain Dr., #8 

Frederick, MD 21703

301-624-0024 

www.valleychiropracticrehab.com

        

The Highly Sought After UFC Competition

RecoveryDoc athlete Mike Easton and his contender Raphael Assuncao
The competition will be held, Saturday, December 8th. Dr. Rick Rosa of Accessible Beltway Clinics has worked with professional fighter Mike Easton over the years.


All of the details about the fight and the players can be viewed on the UFC's website ---> http://bit.ly/TFNym5.
Dr. Rosa, a revolutionary leader in the field of sports chiropractic therapy,  has utilized his famed 6 Pillars of Recovery Program, with professional athlete Mike Easton over the years.

Watch Video of MMA Pro Mike Easton

Mike Easton lifts weight and talks about his recovery which was shortened by 50% of the estimated time after treatment by RecoveryDoc.

httpv://youtu.be/NpGWILn-80s

Dr. Rosa, a graduate of New York Chiropractic College, has devoted countless years to the study and integration of chiropractic medicine for recovery and sports. He consistently demonstrates his passion for the advancement of chiropractic medicine through continuous efforts in the education and training of both the chiropractic and athletic community on the essentials of chiropractic therapy and recovery.Video of MMA Pro Mike Easton as he lifts weight and talks about his recovery which was shortened by 50% of the estimated time after treatment by RecoveryDoc.

Dr. Rosa, the founder of RecoveryDoc, works with professional athletes— enabling them to train harder and recovery faster. He ensures athletes not only recover, but are able to perform better and train harder in preparation for the field.

RecoveryDoc’s Six Pillars of Recovery cover all aspects of recovery for injuries and training. The Six Pillars include; awareness of state, rest, play, nutrition, physical and psychological – ensuring professional athletes, recover faster and train harder.

The role of sports chiropractic care has greatly evolved over the past 20 years and Dr. Rosa plays an active role in the continual advancement.

Watch RecoveryDoc Athlete Mike Easton, Saturday, December 8th on Fox!

This is an event you don’t want to miss!

--> http://www.ufc.com/event/FOX5#/fight/Raphael-Assuncao-Mike-Easton