Friday, November 30, 2018


                                              
                                               Health-y?
Are you health-y?  What does it mean to be healthy?  The definition of health means to be sound in body, mind, and spirit.  But is this the end all?  How about health meaning a state of optimal physical mental and emotional well-being not merely the absence of disease or     dis-ease?  We tend to only focus on our health when we are sick or have issues that arise that makes us aware that something is wrong.  Does this make us healthy those other times that we are not noticing these things?  This happens all the time!  You may not know you have heart disease until you have a heart attack.  The heart disease is something that has been going on for a while.  The whole time you thought you were healthy because you didn’t experience any symptoms from that heart disease.  How about a tooth cavity?  You could be dealing with one for a long time and not know until you start to experience the pain associated with it.  The same could be said about your spine.  You may think and feel that everything is going well until you stand up out of bed and then “throw your back out”.  Were you as healthy as you thought you were?
Our society is based on the idea that most of the time you go to the doctor when you are “sick”.  What led up to that cold?  Was it the virus or the bacteria, many people were exposed to this germ before it got to you? Why didn’t everyone get sick from it?  Maybe your body was not in an optimal state of health to defend the attack.  With your spine it is no different.  How is your spines health?  Is it able to handle your daily activities okay?  Perhaps you only feel a little discomfort after a long day at work sitting.  You couldn’t get up as much as you wanted to because you were very busy.  Far to often we ignore the little hints that our body is telling us that something is not alright but in a state of dis-ease.  The volcano is brewing, the pressure is building, and it can only hold on for so long.  When the pressure becomes too great, the weakest link fails, and pow-wee you have an eruption.  This happens in our everyday lives. “Throwing your back out” is almost never that one occasion.  Your body has been telling you there is something brewing, but we have misunderstood what the body is tell us, or worse we ignore it.  It’s not serious, I am health-y. 

Dr. Andrew P. Bauman, D.C.
Chiropractic Centers of Short Pump
Richmond, Va
 

Wednesday, June 6, 2018


Should I apply heat or ice?

                There are many things you can do at home when you just hurt yourself.  The most basic way to treat any pain would be to apply ice or heat to the area.  Which one is best?  Often you will hear to apply heat to the area.  Other times you will hear to use ice.  Which one is best?  Here is an explanation of what you should do when you just injured yourself. 
                Appling heat to the area will decrease the pain in the short term.  It overstimulates the nerves (thermoreceptors) that say your skin is hot.  By doing this the pain nerves (nocioceptors) cannot send their pain signals as much.  Which in turn decreases the pain. However, when you apply heat to a new injury it makes the inflammation worse. Increasing the pain after heating the area.  Inflammation is a fancy word that describes swelling (edema), redness, warm, and pain.  What happens when you injure an area, our bodies first response it to send lots of fluid to the injured part.  The fluid contains lots of little things in it to start the healing process.  This is good news! Our bodies already try to fix themselves before we have even figured out that we are hurt.  Unfortunately, the body thinks if a little is good, then a lot must be better!  This is bad news.  Most injuries swell up so much that they become painful, and throb.  This is due to so much swelling (edema), that the put pressure on the nerves in the area, which then hurts more!
                When you are applying heat to a freshly injured area, you a contributing to inflammation process.  Heat dilates (opens) the blood vessels more to allow for more swelling to occur.  Therefore, the injured area becomes warm, and red.  There is more blood that is being pushed to the injured area.  With more blood and swelling there is not as much room for the nerves to be comfortable.  The pressure is pushing on the nerves, they send signals to the brain that this area is uncomfortable.  You experience pain. 
                If you have a new injury and only put heat on it, the healing process will take much longer.  This is when it turns into a chronic pain and last for greater than 6 weeks.  The longer the area is inflamed the longer the healing will take.  The slower you will be able to return to do the things that you want to do.
Why is ice so much better?
                Instead of over dilating the vessels in the injured area, we want to shrink (constrict) the blood vessels.  We need to control the amount of swelling to the injury, so it can start the healing process quicker and more efficiently.  Therefore, we apply ice to the injury.  Ice will control the amount of swelling and keep the pain down because the swelling will not be pushing on the nerves. Also, applying ice overstimulates the thermoreceptors like heat.  If these nerves are really active, then the pain will not be noticed as well.   Ice should be your first thought whenever you have a fresh injury!
                 
                Dr. Andrew P. Bauman, Chiropractic Centers of Short Pump

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Dr. Andrew Bauman, D.C.
We are very excited to announce that Dr. Bauman will be joining Chiropractic Centers of Short Pump effective immediately.  
He was born in Virginia, but raised in Canton, Ohio. While growing up, Dr. Bauman enjoyed playing sports such as baseball and swimming. After high school he enlisted in the Marine Corps where he served two tours in Afghanistan.
Once he completed his enlistment, he began his education at the University of Akron where he majored in Exercise Science. He quickly recognized his passion in the study of anatomy and kinesiology. Recognizing how much chiropractic had helped his family, it was a natural fit to continue his education to be a Chiropractor. Dr. Bauman attended Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida where he received his degree in 2017. Along with his doctorates degree, Dr. Bauman completed electives in Graston, Activator, sports chiropractic, and performed community services to help homeless veterans receive chiropractic care.
Dr. Bauman recently moved to the Richmond area with his wife, daughter and two dogs. He enjoys all the outdoor activities that the area has to offer. Dr. Bauman is an avid sports fan, and relates to athletes well. He is excited to be able to help the Short Pump community strive for optimal health and wellness.
With the addition of Dr. Bauman to our office, we will soon be able to offer treatment hours Monday through Friday 7am to 7 pm, including over lunch time.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Improve Your Quality Of Life

Chiropractic patients enjoy increased flexibility, improved posture, improved or eliminated pain, a more relaxed and calm state, and an enhanced energy level—in short, an improved overall quality of life.

Improve Your Quality Of Life

Chiropractic patients enjoy increased flexibility, improved posture, improved or eliminated pain, a more relaxed and calm state...Read More
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Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Stop Drinking Soda

​Six reasons why drinking soda may do more harm than good. Watch this video now to help you take control of your health!​

Stop Drinking Soda

​Six reasons why drinking soda may do more harm than good.
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Monday, August 14, 2017

10 Vegetables to Spiralize

​Go beyond zucchini noodles.We all love a good pasta dish, why not try something out of the ordinary and healthier!

10 Vegetables to Spiralize

​Go beyond zucchini noodles. Try these 10 vegetables in your spiralizer.
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Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Fruit Infused Iced Green Tea Recipe

​This fruit infused iced green tea recipe is a delicious, refreshing, refined-sugar FREE summer drink perfect to keep you cool and hydrated during these long hot days. ​

Fruit Infused Iced Green Tea Recipe

​This fruit infused iced green tea recipe is a delicious, refreshing, refined-sugar FREE summer drink.
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