SOHMA: The Path to Tai Chi & Qi Gong Mastery

SOHMA (School of Healing Martial Arts): The Path to Tai Chi & Qi Gong Mastery. Transform your health with expert training. Join our community and start today.

Dr. Daniel Hoover

5 Ways Decompression Therapy can Help Your Spine

by

Every year millions of Americans suffer with back pain, this can be caused by injury, trauma, aging or lifestyle choices. With proper rest, stretching and recovery you can manage back pain without any treatment, though many people often ignore the pain symptoms assuming they’ll go away on their own. 

The spine is an integral part of your body, which not only holds up your body weight, it houses the nerves that send signals to your muscles which control nearly all your motor functions. Your spine is put under pressure the moment you wake up, and when not adequately taken care of can lead to chronic pain, nerve damage, disc herniation and more. Spinal decompression therapy has been shown to help people in pain recover.

Today we are going to go over 5 different ways decompression therapy can help maintain your spine healthy.

Pain Reduction

Most people looking to have decompression therapy are looking for ways to reduce pain in their back. Your lower back carries the bulk of your weight and compression can be made worse when sitting for long periods of time.

Inflammation is commonly the reason for pain in your back and spine. By decreasing inflammation it will also decrease the symptoms caused by herniated discs and a misaligned spine.

Herniated Discs

Herniated discs, also known as bulging discs happen when the soft tissue used to cushion and connect the vertebrae is injured, typically this is caused by constant strain, trauma or injury to the spine. Herniated discs are incredibly difficult to treat due to the body getting used to the misalignment even if it causes pain. It’s not uncommon to see discs move back to their improper position after a return visit.

Decompression therapy aids in correcting herniated discs. When the spine is being decompressed by the spinal traction, a small amount of negative pressure allows the discs to naturally return to their original position.

Prevent Surgery

Many spine problems are often solved with expensive surgery, this involves invasive procedures and high recovery times. Decompression therapy can help treat many issues that would otherwise require surgery such as:

  • Herniated Disc
  • Degenerative Disc Disease
  • Posterior Facet Syndrome
  • Sciatica

There are many risks involved with spinal surgery as well as with any surgery including that it may not result in any improvement of back pain. Other common risks related with spinal surgery include:

  • Infection
  • Bleeding
  • Blood Clots
  • Nerve and/or Tissue Damage

Low recovery times

After decompression therapy there is essentially no down time needed for recovery. A decompression therapy session may last anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes and when you are done you should feel some relief from your back pain, and be able to continue enjoying your day. Decompression therapy rarely has negative side effects associated with it.

Occasionally, patients report a feeling of soreness or a dull ache for a few days as the body is adjusting to the decompression. This feeling is related often to the soreness you would feel after a hard workout at the gym. In rare occasions, decompression therapy can cause muscles to spasm or the patient will sometimes feel pain go through their arms and legs. 

Affordable alternative

Surgeries are risky for many of the reasons stated above, however many spinal surgeries can also cost in the tens of thousands of dollars. Which can also leave you unable to work while in recovery.

Decompression therapy has been shown to be a viable alternative to surgery. Decompression therapy has been effective in over 75% of the patients receiving it as treatment and many of them report long term pain relief and at the time of completing the program result in effective back pain management.

Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine

Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask us about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health. 

Located in Long Beach, CA we help individuals from the surrounding cities.

We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.

5 Benefits of Spinal Decompression Therapy

by

Spinal Decompression Therapy Can Be A Non-Surgical Option for Back Pain

Millions of Americans deal with back pain every year. Typically your spine can become compressed after injury, improper posture, age or lifestyle choices. Many of these issues can be dealt with by properly resting, stretching or using heating pads in the affected area. Though if left ignored, the pain can lead to bulging discs, chronic back pain, and nerve issues. 

Non-surgical spinal decompression therapy is an alternative treatment for many different causes of back pains and is now offered at SOHMA Integrated Medicine in Long Beach. There are many different benefits of treating your back pain with non-surgical spinal decompression therapy and today we’ll be going over 5 of them. 

Benefit #1 Reduce Back Pain

People suffering from back pain tend to ignore it or they may say something like “I must have slept wrong” and assume the pain will be gone by the next day. Sometimes this does happen however, in some cases they can be making the problem worse. Back pain can be caused by a number of reasons including:

  • Bulging disc
  • Muscle sprain/strain
  • Fracture
  • Tumors
  • Age
  • Lack of Exercise
  • Smoking
  • Injury

Back pain is not limited to just one reason, and can usually be made worse when you continue doing whatever triggered the pain in the first place.

Non-surgical spinal decompression has been used to treat symptoms and conditions including:

  • Neck and Back Pain
  • Herniated Disc
  • Degenerative Disc Disease
  • Injuries
  • Sciatica

The firm yet gentle stretching of your spine during decompression therapy helps to remove tension, re-aline discs, and reduce pressure on the nerves. This results in less back pain in patients.

Benefit #2 Retract Herniated Discs

Bulging discs often occur when the spine is under too much pressure and the soft center of a spinal disc is pushed through a crack in the outer casing. Patients have stated they sometimes hear a popping sound followed by pain or weakness in their arms or legs, while others have no symptoms. 

Although not every herniated disc requires treatment if you have noticed symptoms of a herniated disc, non-surgical spinal decompression therapy is a great alternative to relieving pain compared to invasive surgeries, or addictive pharmaceuticals.

Benefit #3 Relieve Nerve Pressure

Nerve pain can be some of the worst pain some people can experience. Nerve pain is often described as feeling like shooting, burning, stabbing or shocking pain sometimes without stimulation. Nerve pain can sometimes be temporary, it can be caused by injury, trauma or infection and occasionally it may develop into peripheral neuropathy.

Non surgical spinal decompression therapy stretches the spine and muscles allowing them to relax, reducing tension and pressure from nearby nerves. This encourages nutrient and oxygen rich blood to flow to the affected area to promote healing.

Benefit #4 Can Help Prevent Surgery

Spinal surgery can be dangerous, expensive and a time consuming procedure. Recovery from surgeries usually can take anywhere from a couple of days to months to recover. Many times as part of surgery recovery, you may also be prescribed powerful pain suppressants that have their own negative side effects.

Depending on your condition, non-surgical spinal decompression can be a viable option instead of surgery. Many conditions that would previously require surgery can now be treated with spinal decompression therapy, such as bulging and herniated discs, and degenerative disc disease just to name a few.

Benefit #5 Virtually No Recovery Time

As previously stated, spinal surgery can take months to make a full recovery. Oftentimes recovery included pain pills and physical therapy. Spinal decompression therapy requires virtually no down time after a treatment session. Most patients don’t have pain or negative experiences during spinal decompression therapy, in fact some find it relaxing and even fall asleep while on the spinal traction table.

Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine

Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask us about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health. 

Located in Long Beach, CA we help individuals from the surrounding cities.

We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.

What Does Ozone Therapy Do?

by

Ozone is a naturally occurring gas in the atmosphere, discovered in the 1840s. Most people know of ozone for it being the gas protecting us from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. Recently, ozone has been found to help with a variety of diseases and health issues. 

Join me as we look into what ozone therapy is, and what it can do for you.

What is Ozone Therapy?

Ozone therapy is the administration of ozone intravenously for its therapeutic properties. It can be used as a stand alone therapy, or as a complementary therapy with other treatments such as Myer’s cocktail IV therapy. Ozone has amazing anti-inflammatory properties and acts as a disinfectant. It has been shown to help manage symptoms from a number of conditions including:

  • Arthritis
  • Joint Pain
  • Respiratory Problems
  • Allergies
  • Skin Conditions
  • Chronic Fatigue

Ozone therapy improves blood circulation which is invaluable when maintaining a healthy body. Poor blood circulations can lead to an accumulation of fluids in the body which causes swelling. When this occurs it’s difficult for the body to properly circulate blood, this leads to a number of symptoms including:

  • Spider Veins
  • Skin Discoloration
  • Edema
  • Eczema
  • Ulcers
  • Pain in Arms and Legs
  • Numbness and Tingling in Arms and Legs

Pain Reliever

Ozone’s anti-inflammatory properties allow it to reduce swelling in people suffering from injuries or diseases. By reducing inflammation less pressure is placed in the joints and ligaments providing some pain relief from injuries and forms of arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common forms of arthritis affecting over 30 million adults in the country. This degenerative joint disease often affects older adults and commonly occurs in the hands, hips, and knees. It causes pain, stiffness, swelling and loss of range of motion. 

Ozone’s anti-inflammatory properties can be used to reduce pain and increase range of motion. Although there is currently no known way to reverse the damage caused by osteoarthritis. Ozone therapy can be used to manage the symptoms and improve the quality of life of these patients. In some patients ozone therapy can give valuable time in delaying or avoiding major invasive treatments such as surgery.

Fights Pathogens

Pathogens are microorganisms that can infect the body and cause disease, these include viruses, fungi, and bacteria. Every year people suffer from bacterial or viral infections. Especially during the holidays when many people travel and visit friends and family. Most common viral infections like the cold and flu are not curable and need to run their course.

 Ozone therapy’s antiviral properties may be used to reduce viral replication in the body to reduce the period of time you feel ill. Bacterial infections have been shown to resolve within a few days after ozone therapy. Modern bacterial infections have begun to become progressively more resistant to antibiotics, it’s possible that ozone therapy may be how we fight bacterial infection in the future.

Boosts Immune System

As we age our natural immunities begin to decline. Our immune system is our body’s main line of defense from infections. Ozone therapy can be used to give weak immune systems a boost.   Ozone therapy can improve your blood circulation and may clear your arteries of potential infections by oxidizing the pathogens.

Ozone can help produce antioxidants which are needed to keep balance with free radicals. Too many free radicals can cause oxidative stress which can cause you to feel sluggish, fatigued, or sensitive to noises. With regular ozone therapy you may be able  to improve overall metabolism by returning balance between free radicals and antioxidants in your body.

Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine

Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask us about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health. 

Located in Long Beach, CA we help individuals from the surrounding cities.

We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.

What is Laser Therapy for Back Pain?

by

Laser therapy is a modern and proven treatment to help with back pain

Back pain is a problem nearly 65 million Americans suffer with every year. While about 16 million adults suffer from chronic back pain that forces limitations for some everyday activities. Due to back pain being such a common problem, there is a wide variety of causes including some of the following conditions:

  • Herniated disk
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Muscle strains
  • Muscle sprains
  • Injury
  • Poor posture

Fortunately there are many ways to help ease chronic back pains without resorting to surgery or prescription pharmaceuticals that only temporarily reduce pain and rarely treat the underlying problem.

Treatments like chiropractic adjustments, medical massages, acupuncture, and non-surgical spinal decompression are great alternative options to treat back pain.

However, today we’re going to be exploring laser therapy, and how it can help with back pain.

What is Cold Laser Therapy?

When a patient is treated with laser therapy, the skin is exposed to the particles of lights which are then absorbed by the mitochondria of the cells triggering the production of adenosine triphosphate. Adenosine triphosphate is a natural occurring chemical responsible for fueling the body’s cellular processes. Exposure to the light from the laser may improve blood circulation and speed up the process of healing. Afterward, the cells exposed to the lasers are completely unharmed and return to their normal processes.

SOHMA Integrative Medicine of Long Beach CA is excited to offer Cold Laser Therapy. This FDA cleared medical device is used to help reduce pain and accelerate the body’s natural healing.

Using Erchonia’s FX 635 laser resulted in a 72% success rate in their clinical trial, which received market clearance by the FDA in May of 2018. Laser therapy treatment of lower back pain has been shown to be a safer, more effective option that may result in patients going back to their day-to-day life in no time. Low level lasers can be used to effectively reduce and eliminate chronic pain in the back, neck and shoulders.

Is Laser Therapy for Me?

Absolutely, laser therapy is extremely safe. For the majority of people, there is very little to no sensation during treatment. They may feel a mild warmth as the laser is being used but there is no pain. Patients claim laser therapy is calming and relaxing, with some patients falling asleep during the therapy.

In some cases some patients report soreness or swelling though this lasts for only a few hours. In extreme cases some bruising may appear, but this is typically harmless and will fade away after a few days.

There are some people who should consider other forms of relief for their back pain like the aforementioned acupuncture, chiropractic, or medical massages. For patients with suspected cancerous lesions or carcinoma as the laser can have a negative reaction to the skin. Due to not enough research being done on how the laser may affect an unborn child, pregnant women are not recommended to undergo this procedure.

Laser therapy is an exciting new practice that feels like it’s straight out of science fiction. It unlocks some of the natural healing power our bodies have, which is incredibly powerful. While new, it is still considered a viable alternative treatment option for those seeking to relieve back pain without taking addictive opioids or risking expensive and invasive surgeries. Laser therapy is great as a standalone treatment or as a complementary treatment with chiropractic or acupuncture, ask the helpful staff at SOHMA if you have any further questions about laser therapy.

Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine

Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask us about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health. 

Located in Long Beach, CA we help individuals from the surrounding cities.

We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.

5 Benefits of Seeing a Chiropractor

by

Visiting Chiropractors can help prevent and treat common pains.

It’s not uncommon for people to decide to visit a chiropractor after an injury or accident. And although chiropractic care is a great choice for treating some injuries, seeing a chiropractor regularly can have many benefits as well. It can be an excellent source of preventative maintenance for your body and help with recovery.

Join me as we go through 5  benefits of seeing a chiropractor you may not be aware of.

Minimize Migraines and Neck-Related Headaches

Chiropractic adjustments can help with chronic and acute headaches and neck pain. By manipulating the bones in your neck a chiropractor can release the build up of tension in your vertebrae and neck muscles. With less tension in your neck you may notice a decrease in neck related pains including tension headaches.

Some cases of migraines can leave some people unable to get out of bed, they can cause pain, nausea and sensitivity to light and in severe cases can be physically debilitating. Chiropractic care has been shown to help decrease the intensity of migraines in some patients. While others have noticed a significant drop in frequency of migraines. 

Improves Your Posture

Many people ignore their posture and tend to slouch when working long hours in the office or walking for long periods of time. By having poor posture you inadvertently leave your spine and joint miss aligned which can cause pain and soreness. 

By making adjustments to your shoulders, and spine a chiropractor can slowly move your joints back into the best position for good posture. Granted it is still up to you to maintain proper posture in order to avoid future problems. 

Reduces Pain and Improves Range of Motion

As we get older our bodies tend to lose some of our flexibility. But that shouldn’t be something we should accept all together. Yes, we’ll lose some range of motion, but many people see this and give up. They accept the loss of flexibility as a fact of life and won’t put the effort into maintaining the flexibility that they do have.

We still have the ability to keep much of our range of motion and flexibility; it’s just a bit more difficult to maintain. That’s when chiropractic adjustments come in. With regular chiropractic care many patients notice a return of range of motion and flexibility of their joints.

Reduces Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common forms of arthritis among Americans affecting over 32.5 million Americans. This doesn’t mean you should be relegated to dealing with this pain. For osteoarthritis, chiropractic care is usually safe, natural, non-invasive and an effective treatment to reduce pain in your back, arms and legs. Chiropractic care can greatly improve the function of arthritis joints

Arthritic conditions caused by inflammatory disease like rheumatoid arthritis should practice caution. Speak with your primary care provider and make sure it’s safe for you to have chiropractic done.

Treats Minor Neck or Spine Injuries

If you’ve ever been in a  car accident you understand well how painful whiplash can be. In general neck injuries can result from sports injuries, falls or other traumas. Symptoms of whiplash don’t appear right away, typically a day after an incident some symptoms can develop while other symptoms can appear days after.

Chiropractic care can be beneficial for neck injuries and sprains. A chiropractor will identify which spinal joints are being restricted or show abnormal motion. Using a gentile thrust technique they can stretch the soft tissue and stimulate the nervous system to restore normal movement to the spine.

Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine

Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask us about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health. 

Located in Long Beach, CA we help individuals from the surrounding cities.

We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.