From the Desk of Dr. Karl R.O.S. Johnson, DC.....

Living with ADHD can be challenging, and part of this challenge can be discovering the right treatment options for your particular situation. The truth about most treatment options is that there is "no one size fits all treatment" that will work for each and every situation. Given that ADHD is a disorder that originates in the brain, it can make some treatment options risky to the individual, especially those considering pharmaceutical treatment options. Exploring natural treatment options that are proven effective and are backed by scientific research offer the potential to avoid the risks associated with other treatments and can potentially reduce the challenges you or your loved once face concerning ADHD.

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Somewhere in all of your research you have probably read something about the little wheat protein called gluten that is causing a big fuss. Perhaps, you may be one of many people who is noticing the ever expanding Gluten-Free section at your local grocery store. What is the big idea with this little grain? After all, we have been eating it all of these years right? So why is it being ever so publicized today? Maybe perhaps it’s just a fad-diet? Well fad diet or not this gluten-free thing is here to stay, and it may be contributing to how you are feeling, especially those who have thyroid related issues.

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"Your child needs medication." At least that's what parents hear more often than not when learning how to handle an ADD/ADHD diagnosis. Naturally, you want your children to be able to operate at their personal best, but what happens hen that best starts to include medications that change your child's personality? What about the long-term health of your child? Many parents are begging for alternatives to help their children focus and pay attention.

Neurofeedback or EEG Biofeedback corrects irregular brainwaves and timing patterns in patients that have diagnoses like ADD/ADHD. Typical symptoms of this disorder include short attention spans, lack of ability to concentrate, being impulsive, hyperactivity, poor organizational skills, all of which often lead to learning and behavioral issues. These symptoms can be caused by brain irregularities, and neurofeedback trains the brain to adopt regular patterns leading to improved brain regulation. You can imagine the impact this could have as a truly drug-free therapeutic option!

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Guest blog by Ronald Grisanti, DC, DABCO, DACBN, MS

Attention-deficit disorder affects a startling 17 million people and seems to be gaining ground every year.As a parent of child suffering with this disorder.. what are you to do?? Attention-deficit disorder is the most frequently diagnosed childhood psychiatric condition in America. In the past most medical journals described this disorder as minimal brain damage, hyperactive child syndrome & minimal cerebral dysfunction.

Common Symptoms of ADD

The common symptoms include brief attention span, poor concentration, difficulty keeping track of things, making careless mistakes, impatience, difficulty waiting or taking turns, blurting out answers when not asked, impulsiveness, hyperactivity, failure to finish things off, lack of perseverance & poor organizing. These characteristics are frequently associated with difficulties in school, in both learning and behavior. Task that require concentration are nearly impossible causing frustration, irritability, agitation and often recklessness.

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You’d have to live under a rock to not recognize the popularity of gluten-free diets by now. But if you think going gluten-free is just another fad, think again. Although it may be a passing fad for some, a gluten-free diet is powerful medicine for most. 

The benefits, which attain almost miraculous heights for some people, vary depending on the person.

A gluten sensitivity is not a one-size-fits-all disorder with requisite symptoms. Contrary to popular belief, it does not simply cause digestive complaints (although it does cause severe digestive distress for many).

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Tendonitis in any area of the body can be quite painful and debilitating, often interfering with your daily lifestyle.

I often see patients who have tendonitis and the challenge is to help the patient understand the various steps and procedures that need to be undertaken in the healing of this type of injury. Of course there are many different places in the body a tendon can be injured but the wrist, knee, and achilles tendons are the most common ones I have seen. In this blog post I outline a few aspects about tendon construction, tendon healing, and natural methods (drug-free, surgery-free) that I and others have found to be helpful and effective to enable patients to get back to their normal lifestyle.  

Tendonitis refers to inflammation of a tendon, which is the tough rope-like tissue that attaches muscles to bones. Tendons vary in form, and can be rounded cords, strap- like bands or flattened ribbons. [1]

Overuse, injury, and various systemic inflammatory conditions of the body can cause tendonitis. Some medical researchers state that the term tendonitis should be reserved for use only after performing a biopsy and then examining the tissue under a microscope and instead, the term tendonopathy should be used until a biopsy is performed. Regardless of the term used, a good understanding of how to best approach a tendon injury is important.

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The standard medical definition of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) goes something like this: "Carpal tunnel syndrome is a hand and arm condition that causes numbness, tingling and other symptoms. Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by a pinched nerve in your wrist." [1] While the official definition states it is due to a pinched nerve in your wrist, I have found the condition to be more involved. If the proper additional areas of involvement are not addressed, you could end up having wrist focused treatment and not get your CTS resolved. You likely will need a more comprehensive approach such as I outline in this article. It's prudent to first describe the main symptoms that those with CTS often agonize with.

The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome can be quite painful and annoying to say the least. Below is a list of some of the symptoms that mild CTS sufferers experience:

• Numbness or pain in your hand, forearm, or wrist that awakens you at night. (Shaking or moving your fingers may ease this numbness and pain.) 
• Occasional tingling, numbness, "pins-and-needles" sensation, or pain. The feeling is similar to your hand "falling asleep."
• Numbness or pain that gets worse while you are using your hand or wrist. You are most likely to feel it when you grip an object with your hand or bend (flex) your wrist.
• Occasional aching pain in your forearm between your elbow and wrist.
• Stiffness in your fingers when you get up in the morning.

 moderate to severe sufferers often experience the following:

• May have numbness or reduced strength and grip in your fingers, thumb, or hand. As as result of the weakness it may be hard to:
  • Do simple hand movements, such as brushing your hair or holding a fork. You may accidentally drop objects.
  • Pinch an object between your thumb and first finger. (This is called loss of pinch strength.)
  • Use your thumb while doing simple tasks such as opening a jar or using a screwdriver. With long-term carpal tunnel syndrome, the thumb muscles can get smaller and weaker (atrophy).

Unfortunately, if you have severe true carpal tunnel syndrome (with significant pressure on the nerves that traverse under the ligaments in the wrist that make up the carpal tunnel), you may have to resort to surgery. However, people who have some of the very annoying CTS symptoms may not have carpal tunnel syndrome at all...or...may be able to receive non-surgical help. Let me explain how the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome can come from problems in your neck, chest muscles and forearm muscles and what can be done about it.

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