Chiropractic Superstars

Two more sports superstars plugging chiropractic:

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher and World Series MVP, Cole Hamels, has been using chiropractic since 2005. He originally went to see a chiropractor for low back pain that had been plaguing him since high school. Hamels has also used chiropractic to relieve him of an elbow injury that disrupted his 2007 season.

Says Hamels, "I felt a difference right off the bat. A lot better than my physical therapy and the prescription drugs the doctors were giving me." Hey, that's a progressively-minded young man. Hamels also does yoga, spins (bike-riding), and has a supplement tray in the locker room filled with vitamins and fish oils. Nice.

Also speaking out for chiropractic is NFL legend and former San Francisco 49er, Jerry Rice. Rice was named the national spokesman for chiropractic by The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP); he has been featured in full-page advertisements in ESPN the Magazine with positive statements on how chiropractic helped him become one of the greatest receivers in the game. According to the F4CP, Rice's ESPN ad is the beginning of a comprehensive public relations effort for the chiropractic profession.

Booyah! See the video below to hear Rice's words on how chiropractic helped him. Rice also talks about chiropractic's role in his success on Dancing With The Stars.

Thank you Cole Hamels and thank you Jerry Rice. As more and more athletes step up and tout the miraculous benefits of safe, effective chiropractic care, the more the general public will feel inclined to try it. And the better off we'll all be.

49er Tight End Talks Chiropractic

V to the M#$F%# D

You know what makes NFL football players the smartest in all professional sports? It's their love and respect for chiropractic. That's right! Every NFL club has its team chiropractor, and from the beginning the San Francisco 49ers have led the charge.

Who doesn't remember Joe Montana getting adjusted before Superbowl XXIV? And Roger Craig? And Jerry Rice? Keeping in line with a long list of 49er greats, superstar tight end Vernon Davis is also a regular chiropractic client. Why, you may ask, considering that there are still a few Neanderthals that claim chiropractic is for suckers? Well in Davis' words:

[Chiropractic] helps me to go out and perform at my very best each and every week. So that's why I get the work done, because not only does it help, it makes it possible for me to stay healthy. I benefit by this by prolonging my career. This game is very brutal on your body--it can really tear you down. My experience with chiropractic care has taken me to a whole other level with my game, my performance on the field. I'm able to stay healthy and just play; play for a long time, and play till the end of the game.

Doesn't 'believe' in chiropractic

Yes, many other NFL greats have said the same--Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, Ed Reed, Maurice Jones-Drew, and even last year's Superbowl MVP, Aaron Rodgers, whose father, Ed, is a chiropractor (booyah!)

So why are these multi-million dollar athletes choosing chiropractic to stay healthy and prolong their careers? If you don't get it by now...man, you may as well lay down your club and fossilize.

Watch the video of Vernon Davis speaking about chiropractic:

Hamstring Injuries Rampant in NFL Preseason

Hamstring pulls, strains and tears can be debilitating, and they are a common injuries in professional American football.  A recent study showed that more than half the hamstring injuries in the National Football League (NFL) were caused in the preseason, and not surprisingly, positions requiring the most sprinting activity were also the most often injured.

A ten year review (1989-1998) of injury data were prospectively collected by athletic trainers for every NFL team and recorded in the NFL’s Injury Surveillance System.  Over the ten years, 1716 hamstring strains were reported with more than half (51.3%) of hamstring strains occurred during the 7-week preseason.  The most commonly injured positions were the defensive secondary, accounting for 23.1% of the injuries; the wide receivers, accounting for 20.8%; and special teams, constituting 13.0% of the injuries in the study.

This study has a few implications: First, professional athletes that require significant sprinting in their sports--baseball outfielders, track and field, soccer, etc--would be wise to adopt a preliminary warming-up period even before the preseason (typically training camp) starts.  Perhaps a structured regimen over a period of one week where physical activity is started slowly, and combined with light stretching (yoga?), chiropractic and massage to decrease the amount of 'colder' full-on workouts that might precede the preseason. 

Second, the athletes themselves might want to take a half page or so from the off-season training book of NFL Hall of Fame receiver, Jerry Rice.  Rice was well known for his strenuous workouts between seasons, which likely kept him in the great shape that led to his playing in 189 consecutive games.  Now his regimen might be a little much for the average NFL player, but no doubt his dedication to his body kept him injury free--along with regular chiropractic care--for 12 years!  In the NFL?  Wow!

Finally, for the non-athlete or the weekend warrior--this study should show the importance of warming up before a run, a friendly softball game, or any other activity that includes sprinting of any sort.  Hamstring injuries are not fun--and they can be stubborn healers.  Be smart and warm up right, and hopefully you'll avoid the unpleasant experience of the strained hamstring.

*Symptoms of a pulled hamstring:

• Sudden sharp pain at the back of the leg during exercise--most likely during sprinting or high velocity movement
• Pain on stretching the muscle (bending forward with straight knees)
• Pain on contracting the muscle against resistance
• Swelling and bruising
• If the rupture is severe a gap in the muscle may be felt

Superbowl MVP Comes From Chiropractic Family

Aaron Rodgers, Superbowl MVP, was raised in a chiropractic family.  Booyah!  The Green Bay Packers quarterback was raised in Chico, CA, the son of Dr. Ed Rodgers, chiropractor.

Now we all know how many athletes use chiropractic to optimize their game and extend their careers, so it's easy for me to point out that chiropractic patients just function better.  Let's throw Rodgers into the NFL chiropractic club with:

• Joe Montana
• Jerry Rice
• Emmitt Smith
• Roger Craig
• Maurice Jones Drew

All 32 teams in the NFL have a team chiropractor (watch video below of Daniel Graham getting a game-time chiropractic adjustment)--think it works?  Heck yeah!  If you've been considering chiropractic, just know it's the health choice of champions.

*Congratulations again, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

2009 Optimal Health Recap

Here's to another great year of health and wellness news and information in 2009. Thank you to all my readers for your support. Let's recap the best of the year:

We started the year off by talking about health care reform, and what direction I thought the country should take. I agreed with then Health and Human Services Secretarial Nominee, Tom Daschle, when he proposed that we need to make illness prevention "hot," and wellness "cool." Indeed! But Daschle failed to pay his taxes, and we got stuck with a Secretary who decided to focus on the swine flu. Harrumph--another lost opportunity.

All-time greatest NFL wide receiver, Jerry Rice, plugged chiropractic. So did Philadelphia Phillies pitcher, Cole Hamels! Chiropractic was shown to improve high blood pressure.

Seasonal flu, the most over-hyped illness on the planet got bumped in banality by...SWINE FLU! Interestingly, the former was pegged for years as the next "great epidemic," and vaccinations were being touted as the only savior. But just like I said in '07 and '08--not! Flu is flu is flu is flu...people listened, and flu shots were way down in '09.

We had a lot of fun with some stories:

• 20/20 did a piece on children in Central Appalachia and their attachment to Mountain Dew. This happened to be one of my most "hit" pieces.
• People injecting cooking oil into their faces to enhance their looks?!?!

• The resurgence of bedbugs in America (this piece was so popular an Orkin rep asked to link it to their site...I told them I don't do product endorsements...although, everything is negotiable).
• Vibrators improve sex lives.
• Moobs!
• Spider venom wood hardener.
• Pet cat caught swine flu.

I talked a lot about chiropractic and adjusting my children. Lot's of pics and videos.

I was NOT a fan of socialized health care, and gave lots of reasons why here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here).

Lots of celebrities died in '09--Danny Gans, Billy Mays, DJ AM, and Brittany Murphy. I only focused on possible drug overdoses, purposely staying away from Michael Jackson's.

A few notable non-celebrities also died--Ashtanga yoga guru K. Pattabhi Jois, abortion doctor George Tiller, Pulitzer prize winning author Frank McCourt,

I talked about some of my health practices--dietary, fitness, and physiological. And I touted the many health benefits of feeling sick.

My favorite health story of 2009: Dads Are Key to Making us Human

Story that pissed me off the most: Chiropractic Left Off Health Care Reform

Most hysterical: Heroin Best Treatment for Addiction

Least hysterical: Drug Deaths New Number One Killer

Thank you for making Optimal Health one of the premier health and wellness blogs on the net. Thank you for the many comments and participation from my readers here and on Facebook! 2010 promises to be another exciting and interesting year in the world of health. Remember it's your health, better understand it.

Chiropractic in the NFL

Are you ready for some football? Well, the NFL is ready for some hits--chiropractically speaking. According to a recent report by the Professional Football Chiropractic Society (PFCS), every NFL team currently uses chiropractic as a a form of treatment, game-day prep, and an overall health regimen. Booyah!!!

That's right, the NFL is SMART! Professional football players know how much chiropractic can help them recover from injury, but more important they know that chiropractic helps on-field performance as well as extends careers. Think about it: Which body will handle more hits over the long run--the subluxated, beat-up, bashed in one, or the body that's tuned up, turned on and subluxation free? Don't worry, NFL players have already answered the question.

No doubt the NFL is leading the charge in this arena with every team carrying a chiropractor on their roster. "The robust need for chiropractic care in the NFL has been deeply driven by the players' desire for peak physical conditioning and not simply for injuries," states Spencer H. Baron, DC, DACBSP, immediate past president of the PFCS and Miami Dolphins team chiropractor for the past 14 years. "From the earliest years of full contact football, their bodies are subject to structural stress that doctors of chiropractic ... are specially trained to care for.

Chiropractic has had a hand in the careers of many NFL legends. Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Emmit Smith to name a few that have been outspoken chiropractic proponents. But some of today's star players also have been singing the praises of chiropractic--Tom Brady and Maurice Jones-Drew (see video below) are just two the many. It's the use of chiropractic by players like these that was important in the inception of chiropractic league-wide.

Again from Baron, "War stories whispered throughout our profession indicated that in the past, players who wanted chiropractic adjustments had to meet with a chiropractor in hotel bathrooms, parking lots, or back alleys." But players get what players demand--and the players LOVE chiropractic. Who can blame them?

To see a list of NFL team chiropractors click here.

Bravo NFL!--no surprise the National Football League is the premier sports institution in the world. It takes forward thinking to be the best, and nothing beats chiropractic in aligning athletics with optimal health!