Dr. Johanna, Author at Onsight Chiropractic

Mar 18

Chiropractic in the VA

By Dr. Johanna Blog No Comments

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to Establish Chiropractic Residency Program

Historic Victory Follows 12 Years of Advocacy by ACA

Arlington,Va.–The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) today announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will establish a chiropractic residency program at VA medical facilities around the country.

In the next 12 months, VA will select facilities to participate in the program, which will offer five residencies to chiropractic students during the next few years. The application process will be announced after the facilities have been selected. ACA will keep the chiropractic profession abreast of all of the details of the program as soon as they are available. VA is not the appropriate organization to contact regarding the program at this time.

“Chiropractic physicians can play an important role in improving the health of America’s returning heroes. They need our care, and they’ve earned it,” said ACA President Keith Overland, DC. “This historic win for our returning veterans will also provide the highest quality, integrated training for recent chiropractic graduates, and puts chiropractic physicians on par with other physician-level providers-who have similar programs-in the VA system.”

This victory follows 12 years of strong advocacy efforts by ACA. In 2001, VA began the long-overdue process of expanding veterans’ access to the services provided by chiropractic physicians with Public Law 107-135, which mandated that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs must provide chiropractic services to veterans at select VA medical centers and clinics. The program marks the next step in the evolution of the profession’s relationship with VA. While there have been intermittent rotations of chiropractic students through VA facilities before, the new program will be a planned, structured effort to initiate full residencies within the VA.

Today, as a result of ongoing advocacy, VA now provides chiropractic services at nearly 50 major treatment facilities within the United States, which is particularly significant when you consider a 2010 report from the Veterans Health Administration which indicates that more than half of all veterans returning from the Middle East and Southwest Asia who have sought VA health care were treated for symptoms associated with musculoskeletal ailments – the top complaint of those tracked for the report.

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA), celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013, is the largest professional association in the United States representing doctors of chiropractic. ACA promotes the highest standards of patient care and professional ethics, and supports research that contributes to the health and well-being of millions of chiropractic patients. Visit www.acatoday.org.

Mar 09

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Running for a Better Oakland (RBO)

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Running for a Better Oakland is a local non-profit, founded by Oaklanders Tod and Jen Vedock, to bring together a diverse group of Oakland kids in the spirit of togetherness, fitness, and building a safe community. I’m honored to be named the team doctor and called upon to care for minor injuries that creep up as the kids participate in their new sport, running. We meet every Saturday morning, January through March, to run around Lake Merritt in Oakland. Over 150 kids from 7 to 17 years of age and nearly as many volunteers share the adventure of training for one of the Oakland Marathon races: 5k, marathon relay, or half marathon. It’s a site to see all these blue and yellow RBO t-shirts galavanting around the lake on these training runs. Please have a look at this local organization to get a glimpse of how many kids’ lives it is touching in our community:
http://www.rboakland.org

The big day of the Oakland Running Festival is Sunday, March 24—fast approaching!

Mar 06

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Magnificent Magnesium

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Next time you’re in for treatment, ask me about supplemental Magnesium instead of Calcium.

Magnesium has received a lot of buzz lately. Recent studies have found that nearly 68% of Americans are low in the RDA for magnesium (a pitifully low dietary suggestion to begin with) and that a projected 200 million Americans suffer the consequences of magnesium deficiency. But why? Activating over 300 enzymatic reactions and assisting with thousands of biochemical functions within the body, magnesium’s vital role as a healing agent has a far-reaching medicinal history. This magnificent mineral has been the subject of documented western research dating as far back as the 1600’s! Yet, due to several haphazard trends of our modern health and dietary practices, this essential mineral has detrimentally slid off the radar until now- even for some of the most avid “health seekers.”

3 Reasons Why You Might be Magnesium Deficient

1. Synthetic Supplements & Fortification
Some vitamins and minerals are consumed at overwhelmingly high rates while others are neglected. A tragic example of this asymmetry is the ignored physiological relationship of calcium and magnesium. Calcium is responsible for signaling muscle contraction, whereas magnesium is required for muscle relaxation. While research has confirmed that calcium to magnesium ratios in the paleolithic diet were 1:1, our “bone building calcium-craze” has left modern individuals with a warped exposure, reaching anywhere from 5:1 to 15:1 ratio. Studies have clearly demonstrated that excess calcium destroys magnesium, while magnesium supplementation significantly improves the body’s use of calcium.

2. Caffeine, Alcohol & Carbonation
Caffeine-containing beverages like coffee, tea and soda are all stimulants that have a diuretic effect. Once ingested, they have been found to cause an accelerated flushing of magnesium through the kidneys, regardless of whether or not your body needs the magnesium. The body’s physiological need for magnesium is secondary to the diuretic effects! Coupled with high caffeine content, dark-colored sodas contain phosphates which bind magnesium in the digestive tract, preventing any gastric mineral assimilation. Alcohol, on the other hand, is a depressant, but through suppression of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH), it also causes increased magnesium loss through the kidneys. Moreover, alcohol contributes to Vitamin D deficiency as well as digestive malfunction, further minimizing the body’s ability to absorb magnesium effectively.

3. Chronic Stress
Research has found that the frequent release of adrenaline and cortisol involved in an unresolved stress response is strongly correlated with decreased magnesium. What’s worse is that it all works in a vicious cycle: since magnesium is an integral part of nerve conduction and electrolyte balance, low levels can confound sensations of anxiety, sleep disturbance and depression.

“I’m convinced that to get enough magnesium today, you need to take supplements”

-Dr. Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. author of The Magnesium Miracle

Content Courtesy of Radiant Life Company

Feb 19

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Thrive in Cold Season

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EcoTools_Healthy_Glowing_Skin

At a time of year when sniffles abound and everyone seems to be armed with a pocketful of tissues, it is important to take special care in supporting your body’s natural defense systems. The essential function of our exquisitely designed immune system is to defend against the millions of bacteria, microbes, toxins, parasites and viruses that look to invade it. When the immune system is working optimally, our lymphocytes are able to engulf the germs we are exposed to daily. A strong immune system helps foster a healthier, more active and enjoyable life. However, when stressors exist, immune system helps foster a healthier, more active andenjoyable life. However, when stressors exist, they may disrupt this delicate balance, resulting in sickness or disease. Don’t wait until it’s too late—there are many simple and effective steps that you can take each day to build your immune system:

follow a nutrient-dense diet
exercise daily
get solid sleep: 8-9 hours and try an Earthing sheet
maintain a healthy weight
drink plenty of purified, mineralized water
avoid excesses

Superfood supplements can also boost your body’s defenses by providing powerful nutrients and cofactors it needs to ideal protection and rapid healing. Try a general multi-vitamin in addition to vitamin C (500mg), B vitamins, vitamin D (5000 I.U. daily), magnesium (400mg), and zinc (30mg).

-adapted from Radiant Life Company

Feb 14

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Ultra Runner’s Success

By Dr. Johanna Raves No Comments

The training load for Ultra Marathons is rigorous and breaks the legs down. Having ran for almost two years with various nagging injuries and more recently, been plagued with frustrating IT band complications, I started to think my Ultra Marathon days were over. Since being treated by Dr. Johanna, my IT band issues and related nagging injuries have no longer been a problem. Every time I leave a treatment, I feel lighter, faster and stronger. My fire for running has been reignited as a result of the treatment performed by Dr. Johanna.

-Ben-