Currently Viewing Posts Tagged chiropractor palm beach gardens

How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

 Are you suffering from insomnia?  It is one of the most common complaints I hear from patients.

 If you are not getting a good night’s sleep, and by that I mean 7-8 hours, it can contribute to: 

  • Fatigue
  • Brain fog
  • ADD
  • Trouble making decisions
  • Poor Memory
  • Depression
  • Irritability 
  • Immune System Weakness
  • Increased risk for Heart disease, Diabetes,  Cancer and Alzheimer’s
  • Accelerated Aging
  • Weight Gain

So how do you get that minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep that you desperately need?

 1.  Set up a bedtime routine.  Go to bed each night ideally by 10 PM, or at the very latest by 11. You can feel so much more refreshed sleeping from 11 PM–6 AM than from 1 AM-8 AM.  Wake up at the same time each morning.  If you sleep in on the weekends, you may find it much harder to fall asleep early on Sunday night again. 

 2.  Get outside each day for some fresh air and sunshine. Even if it’s just for a 15 minute walk at lunchtime. 

 3.  Avoid using electronics one hour before bedtime. That includes computers, cell phones,  tablets and  TV.  It is just too stimulating for your brain.  You should use this time to relax, stretch, write in your journal, or plan your next day.  Certainly avoid watching the nightly news before bed! 

4.  Have your last meal at least  3 hours before bedtime.  However, if you tend to have low blood sugar and you wake up each night at 3 AM, then you can  have a light protein snack such as a handful of raw nuts about 30 minutes before bed. 

5.  Drink most of your water earlier in the day so that you can avoid minimize water intake in the evening.   This way you can prevent  having to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.  

6.  Magnesium works great for helping you relax and sleep better through the night. I usually recommend taking 2 Magnesium Glycinate/Malate capsules 30 -60 minutes before bed.  

7.  If you suffer from pain, muscle tension or headaches, this can certainly keep you from sleeping well.  

One patient that comes to mind is a 40 year-old woman who had constant fatigue, inability to lose weight, migraine headaches, neck pain, jaw/TMJ pain, depression, anxiety, poor memory and concentration,  dark circles under her eyes, digestive problems, and you guessed it…insomnia.  Besides doing lab testing and putting her on a comprehensive nutrition program, I started treating her with gentle chiropractic adjustments, laser therapy and myofascial release.  Within one month her neck pain, jaw pain and migraines cleared up and she was sleeping through the night  for the first time in years!

So use these tips to help you get a good night’s sleep, and If you need assistance with this, email us at info@nmcwellness.com  or call us at 561-627-5800.  We would love to help. 

Yours for Optimal Health,

Dr. Tom Rofrano

Natural Pain Solutions

Pain can be a real energy drain.  Almost everyone that comes to me complaining of pain also complains of fatigue. This is no coincidence.

If you are in pain, it can make you irritable, moody, depressed, and unable to concentrate.  Pain can make you tense and keep you from sleeping well through the night.  Pain can simply make you tired, very tired.

Pain that is fairly recent is called acute pain.  If the pain persists and lasts more than 4-6 weeks it is considered chronic pain. This seems to be the majority of cases I see, as most people put off coming in as they think the pain will go away on its own.

What causes chronic pain?

Myofascial  trigger points are one of the most common causes of persistent pain.  Trigger points are tender, tight bands or “knots” within a muscle that can refer pain to other areas of the body as well.  They can become fibrous and hard overtime.

This can be referred to as myofascial pain and you can have multiple trigger points throughout  your  body. 

For instance, trigger points in your jaw can cause TMJ pain and headaches, trigger points in your low back and buttocks can cause sciatica, and trigger points in your calves and  feet can cause plantar fasciitis.

Myofascial trigger points or muscular adhesions can also cause nerve entrapment leading to numbness and tingling in your arms or legs. 

These trigger points can be caused by an accident or injury, even one from years prior.  Myofascial pain can also be caused gradually from repetitive stress, by doing the same type of activities over and over again.  Things like sports, sitting at a computer for years, or using your smartphone for hours a day.

Even though myofascial trigger points are one of the most common causes of pain, they cannot  be identified on x-ray or MRI. This leads many doctors to think that your pain is not real, due to stress or “all in your head.” 

Another cause of persistent pain is joint dysfunction. This is where the joints of your spine or extremities can become stiff, stuck or fixated, and they don’t have normal motion. 

This can cause local pain and inflammation, irritate nerves, and can result in headaches,  neck or back pain, TMJ, hip or other joint pain.

What are the best solutions for pain?

Well I thought I would look on WebMD first to see what an internet savvy person could find out.  You know, WebMD, the number one “health” website with 80 million unique visitors per month.

For pain treatment, they list a choice of 5 pain relievers, 8 different antidepressants, 5 anticonvulsants (originally developed for epilepsy) or 3 different opioid pain killers such as codeine, morphine or oxycodone.  And painkillers happen to be one of the most common causes for drug addictions (and drug overdose deaths) in United States.

 Besides all of the side effects, and dependency with the above drugs, they do nothing to resolve the cause of the pain.  Now I realize there are some conditions, like cancer for instance, that require these medications for pain relief. 

But for the majority of cases, if you want to actually correct the underlying cause of pain there are some natural pain solutions available to you.

After treating thousands of patients over the past 30 years, I have found that the most effective treatment for pain is a multifaceted, 7-point approach.  I call it  Functional & Free™- A 7-Step Program to determine your root cause and provide you with whole body permanent solutions! and it includes:

1.  Active Release Techniques, which is a type of myofascial release or manual therapy, to reduce pain producing myofascial trigger points, adhesions and fibrous tissue, and to restore muscular balance.

2.  Gentle chiropractic adjustments to restore normal joint function and movement.  Instead of manual manipulation (cracking your neck or back), we use a computerized instrument called the Impulse.  This is a very advanced, gentle and precise way to reduce pain and restore motion to joints.

3.  Super Pulsed Laser therapy to reduce pain and inflammation, and enhance microcirculation to promote healing.

4.  Therapeutic functional training exercises and vibration training to improve strength, flexibility, balance and posture

5.  Coaching on Lifestyle Modifications such as what type of exercise to do, stress relief activities, proper sleep habits, and even the use of infrared sauna.

6.  A  personalized nutrition program with our Natural Medicine Formulas based on lab testing to see what deficiencies or imbalances can be corrected to help transform your health.  

General recommendations for natural pain relief include nutritional supplements such as Magnesium, Ultra Pure Fish Oil, Vitamin D and and an herbal remedy called Curcumin Protect to help enhance recovery and aid the healing process.   

7.  A proprietary diet that can  reduce inflammation and enhance healing.  I call this The FreeDiet™ as it can help you become free of pain, fatigue, fogginess and fat.  

I applied this treatment program to a  40-year-old women recently who came in with fatigue (for 25+ years), migraine headaches, neck and jaw pain, anxiety, depression, poor memory and concentration, insomnia and a number of other symptoms. 

All this was in spite of being on a number of medications.  She started feeling a lot better with treatment and was sleeping well through the night. Her energy came back and she was soon feeling good for the first time in years.

If you or loved one is in pain and would like to know if we can help you, email us at info@nmcwellness.com  or call us at 561-627-5800.

Yours for optimal health,

Dr. Tom Rofrano 

Natural Immune & Stress Support for FLU Season

Did you ever wonder why the FLU season peaks right after the holidays?

FL

There are reasons for this and it all comes down to the health of your immune system.

So what could possibly weaken your immune system over the holidays?

Well a simple acronym I came up with for the word FLU can give you some answers:

F  stands for Food
L  stands for Late nights
U  stands for Unlimited stress

F  for the immune stress from unhealthy Food.  Yes, all of the Holiday food habits that can stress your body and immune system.

It starts with Halloween and all the sugary, chemical-laden treats that many kids (and adults) overindulge in. That’s just the warm-up though for the peak holiday/flu season.

Thanksgiving is all about the food!  Most everyone is stuffing themselves beyond capacity, including countless desserts, and maybe drinking too much alcohol.  One year, between what my wife Dawn baked and our guests brought, we had 12 different desserts on our table!  And that was on top of a huge Thanksgiving meal.

This is followed by Christmas and the winter Holidays- more food, more sweets, and maybe a lot more alcohol; things that your body just isn’t used to.  And yes, sorry to say, sugar can absolutely weaken your immune system.

L for the Late nights.
So many things to do, staying out late, kids are out of school staying up way past bedtime. Usually past midnight on Christmas Eve and New Year’s eve (which just happens to be the very peak of the FLU season).  Just because you sleep till noon doesn’t make up for going to bed late. Think about how exhausted you feel when you get up a couple of hours later than you usually do.  Truth is, lack of sleep can weaken your immune system, making you more likely to get sick when exposed to a virus.

U for Unlimited stress.
On top of your already bursting at the seams schedule, you have presents to buy, more presents to buy, and last-minute presents to buy.

Many are shopping all night on Black Friday. Presents to wrap past midnight, holiday cookies to bake (and eat) and the kids are home from school.  Travel, dealing with extended family, ex’s and the in-laws. It’s all crazy!

So to put it all together, getting sick is all about stress depleting your immune system.

Stress from too much sugar, maybe alcohol, and food you’re not used to eating.
Too little sleep or even changing your sleep schedule is a source of tremendous stress and burnout.
And the emotional stress from having so much more to do on top of an already crammed schedule with no time to relax.

Add this all up and it’s a recipe for disaster.

After all this, I bet you just want to take a break, relax and do nothing.
Well as I was writing this it came to me what the FLU stands for if you actually come down with it.

F = Forget everything
L = Lay down
U = Unlimited rest

Finally, this is exactly what you needed after all those weeks of craziness. You get to lay in bed for days, with nothing to do but rest. But the problem is you are miserable- fever, aches and pains, headache, congestion, sore throat, cough, vomiting, diarrhea,  and/or fatigue.   If you’re lucky, maybe you just catch a cold.  In any case, not exactly the “vacation” you were looking for.

There is a better way to prevent this:

F for Healthy Foods. Yes, you can have the sweets and go a little overboard but keep it reasonable and eat plenty of healthy foods as your foundation.

L for Lighten up your schedule and set boundaries. Go to bed at a reasonable hour, ideally by 10 PM, and certainly before 11.  Remember, you can accomplish a lot more by getting up early than staying up late.

U for Unwind.  Of course, you have a lot more to do but set priorities.  Take a day and relax at the beach, make sure you are sticking to your exercise program, go for a walk outside and get some fresh air and sunshine.  Maybe you can actually have some quality time and fun with the kids or your significant other.  Holidays do not have to mean “Hell-idays”.

For extra help in keeping your immune system healthy, the following supplements have helped many of my patients over the years:

    1. Immune Support formula is an herbal remedy that has saved me many times at the first sign of a cold or feeling sick.  From my experience, it often prevents anything from taking hold and if you do get sick, I’ve seen many times where it shortens the duration of symptoms dramatically.
    2. Vitamin D  offers immune support with studies to back its cold and flu prevention powers.  I generally recommend 2000 iu/day for kids and 5000 iu/day for adults.  Of course, your specific requirements depend on your blood levels, which we can also check if needed.
    3. ProbioSupreme 100 is a powerful probiotic.  This is for both digestive health and immune support, since over 70% of the immune system is located in your gut.

So remember, stay on the correct path by eating healthy foods, going to bed early and keeping your schedule in check.

Also, use the above supplements for you and your family, and you may be surprised at how healthy you are this flu season.

Yours for Vibrant Health,

Dr. Tom Rofrano

  • Schedule An
    Appointment

    We can help you look and feel the best you have in years!

    Natural Medicine Clinic

    Chiropractor Palm Beach Gardens, FL
    2401 PGA Boulevard Ste 132
    Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
    561-627-5800

    Serving the Florida communities of:

    Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach,
    Jupiter, Tequesta, Singer Island
    and West Palm Beach.

    Content on this website is based upon the opinions of Thomas Rofrano, D.C. and is not considered medical advice. It is designed to be a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Rofrano and his community. Dr. Rofrano encourages you to make your health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. Dr. Rofrano is a chiropractic physician and offers physical and nutritional support and guidance to those seeking alternative or complementary care to traditional medicine. His care is not meant to replace that from your primary doctor and specialists but rather to help you on your path to achieving life-long vibrant health.

    Regarding any supplements mentioned: *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using this product.