Monday, January 25, 2010

Chiropractic First, llc is focusing on helping people who have been in car accidents in Portland, Oregon this year.

You are driving along the streets of Portland minding your own business. You stop at a red light, glance down to change the channel on the radio and your life is about to change. You hear the intermittent squealing sound of anti-lock breaks being applied close behind you. You look up into the rear view mirror just in time for your knuckles to turn white with a death-grip on the steering wheel. In what seems like a slow motion frame by frame playback sports highlight, you see a car rapidly approaching you out of control, and then "Wham!" You hear 2 shotgun loud bangs nearly simultaneously. One is the other car colliding with your car and then the air bag as your head ricochets off the headrest, roof of the car and then quickly toward the steering wheel and windshield. You feel your whole body flex forward and twist around the seat belt rotating to the left. You see a flash of white as your brain impacts the inside of your skull and your brain stem and spinal cord are stretched. You realized that you have been holding your breath until your ribs are warped around the seat belt and compressed. You instinctively pressed the break pedal all the way to the floor. Your car hops and skids forward through the intersection and then stops. You are in shock. Your heart is now pounding 160 BPMs. Your breathing is rapid and shallow. You feel generally numb. You are frozen for a moment and then the instinct to get away from your car kicks in. You look down at your hands and arms then in the mirror at you face which is lightly coated with the light colored powder from the air bag which deployed. You don't see any blood to your relief. You look back at the other car which hit you and the see the damage their car took in the front end and the other driver still behind the wheel. You undo your seat belt and look for your cell phone which you remember is still in your pocket. You exit your car and walk in a daze to the other drivers car to see if they are ok. They are in shock like you. They apologize repeatedly to you. You both make your way to the curb as the police arrive only minutes later. What do you do next?

Your number one priority is your health and wellness. Followed by any legal obligation to report the accident according to Oregon's laws and rules. If you are in an accident like the one described about, seek immediate medical evaluation. The most common injuries in MVAs are soft tissue injuries, and these symptoms may not show up for days to weeks to months as your body tries to repair its' self and scar tissue is created around the nerves, muscles, tendons, ligaments and discs etc. After getting initially checked out in the emergency room for things like cracked or dislocated ribs, broken teeth or jaw bones, objects in your eyes or skin, broken bones or vertebrae, damage to your wrists or knees from impact with the wheel or dashboard, vascular or nerve damage, concussions, and more, you should have your spine and extremities by an experienced doctor of Chiropractic for more subtle injuries that don't necessarily show up on X-rays, MRI or CT. The Chiropractor will perform palpatory tests with their hands that will not perform in the hospital ER simply because the ER docs and nurses are not trained and experienced like Chiropractors are in detecting non-allopathic vertebral subluxations. Vertebral non-allopathic are commonly restrictions or less commonly malpositions in the motor units of the spine. The tissues involved include the spinal bones, discs, joints, ligaments, cartilage, tendons, muscles, fascia, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, brain stem, spinal cord and nerves. The normal function of your human body depends on 100% optimal function of all of these parts in concert together. Chiropractic adjustments, balanced exercise, optimal nutrition and rest help to restore homeostasis to the spine and body. Don't put off proper spinal health. See a Chiropractor today. To schedule a Chiropractic exam for your self or a loved one call 503-626-5761 and ask to see Dr. Pierce.


Yours in health,
Dr. Christopher Pierce
Chiropractor


Chiropractic First, llc
222 SE 8th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
12820 SW Second St, Beaverton, OR 97005
503-626-5761
www.c1pdx.com

Monday, January 4, 2010

2010 New Year's resolutions

Greetings my Oregonian friends.

This new year's eve I heard a lot of people talking about leaving 2009 behind them. Things were a little tough here in Portland, OR for many. There was job loss, a weak economy, the rise of health insurance rates with decreasing reimbursements rates, a collapsing US auto market, collapsing stock portfolios, a depressed real estate market, weakening of the US dollar, and banks that received bail out cash that wouldn't lend to small fish like you and I.

When Pres. Obama changed "Health care reform" to "Health insurance reform" I felt that he had clarified a big distinction in what he was actually working toward improving. Unfortunately, health insurance represents a small portion of what keeps us healthy as Oregonians and Americans. How we personally treat our bodies and our healthy choices determines our health outcomes, not shether we are insured by Regence BC/BS or Kaiser Permanente. What we eat and drink, how we move our bodies and our outlook on life have a greater influence on our state of health than that of any health insurance coverage.

If 2009 was the year of hope then let us make 2010 the year of action, constant and never ending action or kai zen. GIGO or garbage in, garbage out applies to your body as well as computers. Fill your self with a majority of fresh local and organic foods. Get home delivery from Organics to You, shop at one of Portland's many farmers' markets (Hillsdale, Beaverton, complete list), support the local grocery stores like New Seasons Market, drink local micro brews and wines in moderation. Stay hydrated (hydration calculator). Get outside and play. Go for a hike, walk or bike ride. Join a kickball league, golf league (OKC, Recesstime) or get a Wii fit. Use your gym membership that you keep renewing every year but you don't use (to avoid the high pressure sales tactics in the club check out Costco to get a sweet deal on a 2-year 24-hour Fitness membership for $399). What ever, just do something and keep doing it. Take a mental break, vacation locally to help Oregon's economy. Go to the beach, ski Mt. Hood (Meadows, Ski Bowl, Timberline, Summit), visit the Redwoods of southern Oregon, or spend a weekend at a hotel in downtown Portland at a boutique hotel, go shopping and dine out.

Keep your resolutions simple this year:
- Eat well.
- Move & exercise well.
- Think well & relax.
And you shall be well my friend.

Come visit me at either my Portland or Beaverton Chiropractic clinic. We can talk about how you can improve what you already do to make your self healthier and happier.

Yours in health,
Dr. Christopher Pierce

Chiropractor and co-owner of Chiropractic First, llc
12820 SW 2nd st, Beaverton, OR 97005
222 SE 8th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
503-626-5761
www.c1pdx.com