I would LOVE to formally invite all of you to our OPEN HOUSE!!!

Saturday, April 24th from 10-2

4444 West 76th Street Suite 100
Edina, MN 55435

Check out the evite at:

www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/LLDDRYLUJXZINULOLPDW/openhouse

(You might have to cut and paste this)

We are gonna have GREAT door prizes, free mini massages, free blood pressure checks and many more fun things to do. Bring the whole family and ALL of your friends!!!

Hi there my dearest friends and relatives I have some great news for you:

I went to see my oncologist yesterday, and the cancer that was in my entire spinal cord sheath, that holds your spinal fluid was completely and totally gone. In October the MRI showed that the entire sheath was cancerous. This was a very life threatening situation. The oncologist gave me a prognosis of a month to a year to live. The biggest threat was that the cancer would invade my brain. The cancer had positioned itself in the soft tissue of the entire sheath. At that time he told me that this was no longer curable. He said that I would definitely die of cancer.

The sheath houses your spinal fluid, and the cancer cells can move through the fluid up to your brain. This was devastating news for Wil and I. Two weeks ago I had an appointment with my oncologist, and he scheduled another MRI to see what the cancer was doing at this time, and I was also scheduled for this Wednesday to get another intrathecal spinal tap and chemo treatment. At that appointment I said to him, “I feel like I never had cancer in my spinal cord sheath right now.” I got the results yesterday for the MRI that I had done yesterday morning at 6:30 AM. When the oncologist looked at the MRI, he found ABSOLUTELY NO CANCER IN MY SPINAL CORD SHEATH! “He said this NEVER happens”, and “It's as though you had taken Femara and Zometa drips all along to prevent the cancer from spreading to the soft tissue. He said that the metastasized cancer is now curable and preventable too. I never doubted God would answer this prayer. We have been married 35 years come February 22, 1975. What a wedding anniversary God-gift this is! We celebrated with a lobster dinner last night. We got the gift of many more years of love together, and I get to see my grandchildren grow up and get married and have kids. I am crying with joy right now. I bet Joy my sister-in-law will be literally crying with joy too, when she reads this. My tears are hitting the keyboard so that I can not see anymore. My oncologist canceled not only my next intrathecal spinal tap and chemo treatment, he also said that I don't even have to have any more treatments. I was supposed to have three more treatments after the one on Wednesday. I am an absolutely free woman now!!!! He said all I have to do now is take my femara, get my zometa IV drips once a month, and inject myself with the fragmin everyday for the next six months.

Something else happened at Froedtert yesterday too, while we were waiting for our appointment to get those results above, I decided that I wanted to volunteer my time at this wonderful hospital that I love so much. I love this hospital because of not only do they have great nurses and doctors, but they , also I have never run into anyone who wasn't trying to take care of me with joy and respect for me. Every time I turn around employee at the hospital is putting a warm blanket on me and asking me how I am doing with a big genuine smile on their face. So I said to my husband Wil, “I want you to wheel me around this hospital in my wheel chair so that I can get to know the whole hospital. I hurt my leg driving over a big pot hole on Saturday, and my leg was inflamed and painful. The pot hole is on Oakton near the old Oakton Manor homes heading east toward Hwy SS near St Anthony's church. A little tip—watch out for that one!! So I said to Wil, I want to learn where everything is in the hospital so that I can wheel chair people around this gigantic hospital because I want to volunteer my time over here doing whatever they might need me to do.” Anyways, we were having a lot of fun wheel chairing around and laughing. We came up to this lady and I got a feeling that I should stop and ask her where I could go to find out where I could find out how to volunteer my time and services at this hospital. So I stopped her in the hall and I said, “Ma'am, could you please tell me where in this hospital I could find out how to volunteer my services?” She said, “That is what I am in charge of.” She took me down to her office where I got to meet the most incredible women I will be working with very shortly. I just have to heal up this inflammation in my leg first. I loved these women instantly, and they loved me instantly. We hugged each other like crazy people. I can't wait until my leg heals so that I can get down there and start working with them. I am so excited about this! Then all day Shirley, the woman I stopped in the hall for directions on where to go to volunteer my services, kept bumping into us. Shirley kept bumping into us all day after that and she said, I am not trying to bump into you. We were all laughing about it. Then she came up behind me with Wil cause she bumped into him again at the pharmacy while Wil was picking up the fragmin prescription. She heard my conversation with another cancer patient who was complaining about her cancer and how she hated her job. I was saying to her, “ leave your job then cause what you chose to fill your time with shapes and forms who you are.” Shirley overheard my conversation and she came up and said, “you really do have a cup that is not only half full, but spilling over.” And I said yes, “I don't ever waste this precious lifetime thinking negatively.” She said, I LOVE YOU, and gave me another BIG hug!”

I am on a mission now. My purpose now is to tell as many women as I can about my breast cancer story. I'll work at Froedtert hospital until I am at least 104 years old because I have to beat that great grandmother's age on my maternal side where all of the breast cancer was. I would like to break the cycle of breast cancer for my daughters and my grand daughters. I am going to count how many women I tell my story to and then when I get to heaven, the first thing I am going to ask God is, “So God, just how many lives did I save?” I really want to work full time at Froedtert hospital. After all of those health care expenses from last year and with this years expenses I will have to take the next job that comes along and I sure hope that it is in the Cancer Center of Froedtert Hospital. That's where I met Shirley. God gave me not only a second chance at life, but he gave me a dream job all in one day. Blessings are on us again. Will was in a daze all of the way home. I don't' think that this whole scenario had made it's way into his understanding yet that our lives had just made a complete and total turn-around in an afternoon. And the nightmare was over! I have decided that I am going to write a book about my breast cancer story. I know it will be a best seller and if I write that book, just think how many more women will benefit!!!

My mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in February of 2008. She had a double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery. She was told that she had a very slim chance of metastasis so she opted not to take the anti-hormone drugs because they made her joints ache, etc...
Last year in about August of 2009 she came up to visit from Milwaukee and was playing Wii bowling and boxing with Allison. She felt that she may have pulled a muscle in her right upper back. She tried going to Chiropractors, etc... but nothing helped. Then she visited in October and got a fever when she was here. She thought maybe it was the H1N1 virus, BUT no one else, including my dad, came down with the same symptoms. A few weeks later she got a fever again. (Mind you, the whole time I felt something was wrong and kept telling my dad he should convince her to go to the doctor.) Anyways, finally she went to her regular doctor and just to be on the safe side they did a bone scan, since she had a history of breast cancer. Her bone scan lit up ALL OVER!! She had cancer in her skull, vertebra, ribs, femur, tibia, etc... It was bad. She was seeing an oncologist at that time that wasn't giving her the time of day literally. She had a scan and he would take over a month to get in to see him, she couldn't get results, etc... By the time some of those patients did they could be gone already. It was a really bad situation. She found out about a much better clinic and started care there. The new oncologist finally did a full body scan to see if the cancer had gone to soft tissue. Her spinal cord sheath lit up like a Christmas tree. The doctor told her that they can try chemo, but her prognosis was 1 month to 1 year at best. He felt that it was just a day away from hitting her brain, which is a really bad thing.
So they started chemo, by injecting it right into her cerbral spinal fluid (CSF). She was getting it once a week at first and then down to twice per month. She started chemo in November or early December.
Since then she has had TWO pulmonary embolisms, several bone fractures, food poisoning and a breast infection. She literally felt like she was dying. BUT never once did she not believe in the power of God and the fact that he has it ALL in control. She wasn't worried about dying because she KNEW without a doubt where she was headed. She had more joy during this whole process then most of us do when we aren't sick. I have witnessed one of the strongest believers I have EVER seen, and have forever been touched by that. Anyways, she has been preaching to anyone who will listen about how you can still live with cancer. You can believe in peace and joy even though it hurts, etc...
She had an MRI last week to see how the chemo is doing in her spinal sheath. She went to review the results with her oncologist yesterday. He sat her down and told her that in ALL his many years as an oncologist he has NEVER seen such a miracle. She had absolutely NO cancer in her spinal sheath. He couldn't find one trace of it anywhere. He kept saying over and over this is a miracle. He could not explain it. He told her that she could live another 30-40 years. She will not EVER need to do chemo again.
She is going to start volunteering and possibly taking a position at the hospital where she had her treatments and witnessing and helping the current cancer patients. She is so on fire for God! What a miracle in and of itself, for someone who was so sick to worship instead of wallow in self pity. God is not done with her here on Earth yet. He has a mission for her, it is obvious, and because of the power of His healing she is given that opportunity.
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for her and our family. I just ask that you continue in those prayers.

This is a hard time of the year to eat nutritiously for a lot of us. We are heading to parties, receiving cookies, baking cookies, drinking egg nog, etc...
So many of my patients ask, "How can I get through the holiday season without totally blowing my diet?" (And by diet I mean a nutritional lifestyle of eating)
Here are a few tips to keep in mind...

1. If we don't allow ourselves to have some eating fun once in a while we will never maintain this lifestyle of eating. I don't mean go out and eat an entire pumpkin pie, but it is ok to have a slice.
2. Know which options are BETTER options. Such as... pumpkin pie has the fewest calories of all pies. Whereas, pecan pie has the most.
3. Before going to a party, eat a light snack such as carrots, celery, nuts, fruit, etc... It will help to decrease your hunger and you are less likely to eat a ton when the meal is served.
4. Keep exercising. This is harder said than done. We are all very busy during the holiday season and forget to take time out to do our normal exercise routines, but it is very important not to skip this very important routine in your day.
5. Share your cookie gifts with others. When patients bring me cookies, I share them with other patients, other staff, etc... I don't bring them home and eat them all by myself.
6. Drink water. Drinks of all kinds have LOTS of hidden calories or toxins in them. Drink Water! It will also curb your appetite.
7. Take small portions. Allow yourself to eat the beautiful meal but don't go up for 2nds, 3rds, etc... If you take an appropriate portion then resist going back for more.

There are so many more, but these will get you off to a great start. Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

This is one of Minnesota's favorite or un-favorite past times. Shoveling snow!!! Whether we like it or not, most of us can't get around doing it. Here are some tips on how to keep from injuring your back in this must-do task.


1. Warm up for 5-10 minutes. Just like any other exercise you need to warm up before doing it. For this you can be inside where it is still warm and touch your toes a couple of times, rotate at the waist slowly without forcing it, bend and touch the opposite foot, walk up and down stairs. All of these activities, if done slowly and carefully, will help warm up the lower back muscles. Stretch your lower back, arms and legs.
2. Don't let the snow pile up. Going out to shovel several times during a snow fall is easier than doing it when it really deep and heavy.
3. When you are outside make sure that you are dressed appropriately for the temperature, and wear boots that grip to minimize slipping on the ice.
4. Take frequent breaks. Stop every 10-15 minutes especially if the snow is heavy. If you are feeling chest pain stop immediately.
5. Don't lift and twist.
6. Use a proper snow shovel that allows you to push and throw snow forward.
7. Lift with your knees, keeping your back straight.
8. Use a snow blower if you have one, or utilize a neighborhood kid.

Good luck, stay warm, and stay injury free!!!

I thought I would talk a little bit about icing versus heating. Most people are very clueless as to what they do and why we do either.
When we have swelling in our bodies it is due to stasis of fluids. This can happen because of poor excretion of fluid, an excess production of fluid or both.
When we have an acute injury or flareup (which would be a recent injury or a re-exacerbation of an old injury) we usually have both too much production of fluid and poor excretion. This is our bodies way of bringing lots of nutrients to our injury and protecting the area. Unfortunately it usually does too good of a job which leads to pain and swelling.
Chronic injuries (which would be an old injury that hasn't healed) we have poor excretion usually due to damaged tissue such as scar tissue.
OK, so now what does ice and heat do?
Ice is a natural anti-inflammatory. It slows production of fluid which in turn decreases swelling. BUT then you have no excretion of fluid either.
Heat does a great job at increasing circulation to an area which helps excretion of fluids, but also helps to increase production of fluids as well.
SO....
For acute injuries your body is already producing too much fluids so you don't need to heat. In fact it would cause increased swelling. Icing would be your friend. Icing 10 minutes every hour during the acute phase of an injury would be a good start until you can see your physician.
For chronic injuries heat works really well. BUT you'll only have temporary relief because you'll have an increase in circulation which helps to excrete waste products but will also increase production of fluids. Most people notice when they heat that they felt more range of motion or decreased pain temporarily but then became stiff and sore again. Now you know why. SO the solution to that problem is that in the chronic stages of healing/pain you should alternate heat and ice. Heat 10 minutes and ice 10 minutes. This will help to excrete fluids, but then slow the production of fluids. It has to be in that order as well because it will flush the waste products then decrease swelling. The best form of heat would be a moist heat such as a bath, shower, hot tub, etc...

If you have any further questions about what I discussed here, please feel free to contact me at (612)590-5881.

Now that we have talked about good mattresses and pillows the next logical topic would be proper sleeping techniques.
Sleeping on your back or side are great choices. It is not a good idea to sleep on your stomach at all. Stomach sleeping forces you to sleep in a way that doesn't allow you to have proper alignment of your spine. Most stomach sleepers have to turn their head to one side or the other, and have an arch in their lower back. Both of which are not good for your spine.
The preferable ways would be on your back or side.
Back sleepers should look for a great pillow with cervical support. There are many brands out there, but I personally would stay away from anything that gives you flexion in your neck while laying on your back. This causes excess stretching of your spine all night long. Also when sleeping on your back, it isn't a bad idea to put a pillow under your knees. This allows your lower back to drop its arch position.
Side sleepers should also look for a great pillow but this time it needs to be the depth of their head to bed length. Some side sleepers sleep totally on their side and others roll their shoulder forward while sleeping so you have to decided which one you are and pick the perfect size pillow for you. Also, side sleepers should have a pillow between their knees and keep their knees bent at the same angle. If you put one knee forward that will allow twisting in your lower back which can be a cause for morning discomfort in your lower back.
If you alternate between back and side sleeping then you need to look for a neck pillow that will accommodate either position. They are out there. I sell some in my office. Also a good body pillow is great that you can put either under your knees or between them depending on your position.
I know that this sounds like a lot of work, especially while you are sleeping. I know it is possible because I am living proof.
One final note: When your spine is in alignment it makes it much easier to sleep in a proper position and much harder not too.

When it comes to beds/sleeping I don't think that most people consider it a priority as much as they should. When we go shopping for a car, we look at comfort, color, make, price, mileage, etc... and we are willing to spend a LOT of money on one. BUT... how many hours a day do we spend in our cars? One hour, two maybe.
We spend on average 5-10 hours per night on our mattress and our pillows!!! Why are we willing to spend LOTS of money on our cars, but when it comes to mattresses we settle for cheap? ANYWAYS...
When you are shopping for a mattress my recommendation would be to take your time. There is no perfect mattress. I have even been a sales person that sold mattresses and I would like to say again, there is no perfect mattress. You need to find the one that is right for you. That takes time.
When I went shopping for a mattress I spent a long time lying on the mattress and felt for any tensions in your spine or anywhere else in your body. It will be subtle so you have to pay close attention. Also you want to try lying on your back AND your side. I would also look at consumer reports. Look at what others are saying about the mattress. Ask your friends.
In my opinion, and with what I see in my office, pillow top mattresses are NOT the way to go. Patients tell me that they feel a sagging after a short period of time. That would not be good support for your spine. These patients hurt a lot in the morning when they get up, and have restless sleep. That is all I will say about mattresses so good luck shopping.

Good quality pillows are another very important item you should have. When buying a pillow you might need to consult a professional first, but for the most part you should look for something that has support in the neck for side or back sleeping. Also, it is usually not a good idea to have a pillow that is too thick or too thin. BUT this is one of those things that an assessment might be necessary. If you have a lot of degenerate problems in your neck or certain diseases you may need a different pillow. SO consult your chiropractic physician if you are not sure.

I hope this answered your questions about pillows and mattresses. It is probably not ok for me to mention name brands on a blog so I didn't, but if you want to ask more of those types of questions you can contact me on my website at www.childandfamilychiro.com

I had someone ask, "Why do we get subluxations?" That is a GREAT question. This is my answer to that question.

There are three main causes of subluxations. I call it the 3T's. Thoughts, toxins, and trauma.

Thoughts: This is the number one cause of subluxations. Our emotional stress, whether it is good or bad, is by far the biggest cause of subluxations. When we get stressed our muscles tighten up and pull on our vertebra which can pull it out of alignment.

Toxins: This is the second main cause of subluxation. Some examples of toxins are poor diet, medications (especially when taking more than two), smoking, alcohol, etc.. We are all aware of these ideas, but probably never thought of it in this way. Also the opposite is true. When you don't get enough of the "good things" in your diet such as water, fruits, veggies, protein, etc.. that can cause subluxations too.

Trauma: This is probably the one most people think of first because it can appear to be the most obvious, but examples of this would include car accidents, slips/falls, giving birth or being birthed, sports related injuries, etc...

Some examples of children and why they might get a subluxation are:

A 6 month old: Birth process, improper carrying, formula fed or introducing solids too early, stress in the family, second hand smoke, improper nutrition during pregnancy, or it can be just as simple as the baby's head falling backwards once because it's head wasn't stabilized. I could go on and on. There is research to say that at least 50% of all babies fall from the height of a diaper changing table.

6 year old: These guys have just had more years to their little lives. They could have subluxations that stem back to inutero or infancy, but now you have to add on learning to walk and all the falling that is associated with that, adding solid foods into their diet and all that that entails. More exposure to second hand smoke or other environmental toxins. The stress of starting school or home life stress. Wearing backpacks. ETC...

16 year old: More stress in their life... hormonally, educationally, physically, etc... More car accidents or near misses. Introducing more toxins in their bodies such as soda, alcohol, cigerette smoke, etc... (We would all like to think that this isn't happening, but it might.) Educational stresses. Life stresses. Sports stresses. Girlfriend/Boyfriend stresses. LOTS AND LOTS!

Adults: We have a whole different stress. Not only have we lived longer, but some of can add children in the mix. That brings on a whole new stress. Financial stresses, Emotional stresses, etc... I think that we all get the picture. :)

I have been asked a LOT lately about the topic of breech babies and Chiropractic. What is Webster Technique and Why does Chiropractic "turn" a breech baby? This is why...

First of all I just want to say that there are techniques that skilled Chiropractors use to "turn" breech babies. One of them is called Webster Technique. It works a LOT of the time, but does not work for all babies. If there are reasons other than ones that I will discuss, for example a short umbilical cord, then the baby is NOT going to turn no matter what is done. There are anatomical reasons for the "breech" position. I am going to call this "breech" position inuterine constraint which means that the fetus does not have optimal room in the uterus. This could even be in the "head down" or vertex position.

As a woman, our uterus would be a free floating organ in our lower abdomen if it weren't for a few ligaments attached to it. Those ligaments are attached at the other end onto our pelvis (more specifically our pubis and sacrum). When our pelvis is misaligned, called a subluxation, it pulls on those ligaments which in turn pulls on our uterus. This causes a torque, or twist in our uterus which in turn causes less space in our uterus.

As an example if you had a balloon and were to pinch on portion of it and pull it towards you it would alter the shape of the balloon. Similar idea with the uterus. When the fetus is inside the uterus and the uterus is being pulled it makes the space inside the uterus compromised. The fetus then has to give up its preferred head down, freely floating position for a less optimal position.

When a pelvis that is subluxated is adjusted accurately and soft tissue work is done to the pelvic ligaments and muscles then the uterus is freed from that torqued position there is no reason that the fetus wouldn't take the path of least resistance which would be head down. (Unless of course there are other complications going on as stated before.)

The best thing about using Chiropractic for inuterine constraint is that there is no risk for mother or baby in using this technique. This technique will NOT WORK if there are other factors involved, and there will be no risk for an emergency Cesarean section.