News

Around 40% of Australians will experience a foot problem at some stage in their life. Poorly fitting footwear or footwear which is not appropriate for the wearer or activity contributes to many of these foot problems.

Here are some tips for choosing the right shoe:

• The shoe must fit the wearer. It must be long enough, wide enough, and deep enough. This is very important to avoid the many problems that can occur as a result of wearing poorly fitted or inappropriate footwear.
• The length of the feet should be measured to the longest toe. Sometimes the second toe is longer than the first. There should be about 1cm between the end of the longest toe and the end of the shoe.
• Leather shoes are best because they allow the air to circulate around the feet and stop them from sweating too much. They also conform to the feet better with time.
• A lace-up, buckle-up or Velcro fastening is best. This allows the shoe to hold onto the foot so it can relax. If the shoe is not properly fastened, then the toes will claw and the foot has to work to keep the shoe on.
• Cushioning in the shoe is important to prevent pressure points and friction that can cause problems such as corns and blisters.
• The shoe needs to bend where the foot bends, i.e. at the ball of the foot, and be rigid where the foot is rigid, i.e. in the arch area.
• The heel counter needs to be firm and high to provide support and stability. This is tested by putting pressure from your thumb against the back of the shoe.
• Buy shoes in the afternoon when your feet are likely to be slightly swollen.
• Make sure shoes are comfortable when you first try them on. Don’t buy shoes that need “breaking-in”, because while you are doing this they are injuring your feet.
• Always try on both shoes. If one foot is larger than the other fit the shoe to the larger foot. An insole can bridge the gap for the smaller foot.
• Shoes should be fitted when standing as this is when your body weight will influence their position and fit.
• Only wear new shoes for short periods of time to start with. Check your feet after each period of wear for any areas of irritation and redness.

Tips by Catherine James, Podiatrist.

To make an appointment to see Catherine, click the "bookings" link at the top of the page, to find out more about Podiatry click the link below.

New research suggests that acupuncture provides pain relief by changing the way your brain recognises pain. It is also thought that acupuncture may assist the brain to process and regulate pain signals.
With its rich history, this ancient practice is as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago.

It can effectively treat a variety of painful conditions such as: Sprains and strains; Tendonitis; Headaches; Fibromyalgia; Period Pain; Toothache; Post surgery inflammation; Digestive complaints; Arthritis and many more!

If pain is keeping you from performing at your best, come in and talk to Tracey to find out how acupuncture can help you.

For further information, check out the links below: http://www.usnews.com/health/family-health/pain/articles/2009/08/27/imaging-sheds-light-on-how-acupuncture-works.html

 
Too many Australians are turning to painkillers for a short term fix and failing to recognise the
importance exercise, diet and posture in reducing on-going pain, according to research
undertaken by the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia (CAA).
 
The independent research, commissioned for National Chiropractic Care Week 2009 (May 18-24)
found that 45% of Australians choose to take a painkiller, which have no long-term benefit for
back pain sufferers. 
 
Despite the burden of back pain, the majority of Australians still consider themselves to be in
good health even though three quarters of respondents don’t take the recommended amount of
daily exercise.
 
The research found that Australians could potentially reduce the chances of suffering frequent
back pain by 18%, just by exercising for at least 30 minutes a day.
 
Reducing stress was another key factor found to reduce the likelihood of back pain.
 
CAA National spokesperson Patrick Sim said, “Lack of exercise is one of the key contributing
factors to back pain and poor spinal health along with other ‘big picture’ lifestyle choices such as
diet, smoking and poor posture. It’s not just back pain, it’s the big picture.”
 
“59% failed to recognise exercise as an action they should undertake to reduce back pain and
92% failed to consider a healthy diet.”
 
“Australians need to consider that back pain could be a sign of something more significant, and
should not be viewed as something that can just be treated with painkillers.”
 
“While drugs may relieve pain temporarily, they are a quick fix solution, which ignores underlying
structural problems and lifestyle habits – the ‘big picture’.”
 
“As you might expect, Australians who acknowledge they’re overweight are more likely to
experience back pain with 48% suffering on a daily basis.”
 
Being overweight made them almost twice as likely to experience daily back pain when
compared to the average Australian. 
 
The research also found that the majority of Australians blamed a specific incident such as an
injury or heavy lifting for their back pain without recognition that their lifestyle could be making
them more susceptible.
 
Making good lifestyle choices and maintaining your spinal health are key to reducing the risk of
back pain and leading a healthy life,” said Patrick..
 
Through their five-year university training, chiropractors can provide specialist care, exercises,
healthy lifestyle advice and information regarding the ‘big picture’.
 
“Chiropractic care offers a safe, proven, and effective drug free choice in spinal health, care.
Chiropractic can help you get to the cause of your pain and most importantly, it helps you to
maintain your long term spinal health and maximise the body’s overall health and performance,”
said Patrick.
“Not only can chiropractic provide pain relief, it corrects dysfunction in the nervous system and
musculoskeletal system, enabling individuals to unlock their full health potential.” 
As part of National Chiropractic Care Week 2009 (May 18 – 24), the CAA has developed a free
”Big Picture” booklet on spinal health, to provide great information to Australians and help them
lead healthy lives.
 
The booklet contains information on back pain such as common misconceptions, causes,
lifestyle choices, risk factors, spinal health, chiropractic care and a do it yourself home posture
check.
 
Throughout May, selected chiropractors from the CAA will also help Australians by offering free
spinal assessments and will be on hand to provide expert advice on how to maintain your spinal
health.
 
For more information on National Chiropractic Care Week 2009 visit
www.chiropractors.asn.au/thebigpicture or contact the CAA hotline toll-free on 1800 075 003.
 
About the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia
The Chiropractors’ Association of Australia (National) Limited (CAA) is the peak body
representing chiropractors in Australia. It has state associations in all states and territories of
Australia. 
 
The Association has a current membership of approximately 2,500 members. The national body
is involved with such matters as education, publications, conventions, international relations and
the liaison with federal government authorities. 

The CAA actively promotes the profession within Australia to the general public and to other
professionals in health related fields.
 

---

About the Research
2009 Australia’s Back Pain: Commissioned by the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia
(National) and conducted by Square Holes Pty Ltd between March 1-3 2009. The research looked
at Australians experience with back pain including prevalence, attributed causes, treatments
and lifestyle habits.
 
The Australia’s Back Pain research was conducted using a sample size of 600 with interviews
conducted in every major capital city making it statistically reliable for the population size. The
research carries a +/- 4% margin of error, which is within accepted industry guidelines.
 
The key findings from the research can be obtained by contacting Karl Herger on (02) 4731 8011
or 0429 999 160.

CHIROPRACTORS WARN SCHOOL BAGS
BAD FOR BACKS 
 
The Chiropractors’ Association of Australia (CAA) has called on Australia’s educators to rethink the load
they are placing on students’ backs – literally.
 
“There is mounting evidence pointing to the fact that heavily laden school bags place unnecessary stress
on growing spines and can lead to acute and long-term back problems,” warned CAA national
spokesperson, Dr Patrick Sim, chiropractor.
 
“Lugging an overloaded school bag to and from school is an outdated concept that must be discouraged.  
 
“Why treat our kids as pack horses when most of the information they need at school or for homework
could be contained on a tiny memory stick?”
 
According to Dr Sim, a growing child should limit the weight they carry in a school backpack to no more
than 10 per cent of their body weight.
 
“That’s only around 4-5 kilos for a 40-50kg student and it quickly adds up when you throw in a few text
books, pencil case, lunch box and water bottle,” he said.
 
A survey by CAA in Victoria into the average bag weights of 1,000 children found that almost half (486
children) carried bags well over the 10 per cent recommendation.
 
“Lifting a bag that is too heavy causes immediate strain on the spine,” Dr Sim explained. “The longer a
child carries that load, the more severe the damage.
 
“The problem is compounded even further by badly loaded bags, poor posture and the ‘fashion factor’
which dictates the latest trendy way for carrying the bag, usually negating any inbuilt ergonomic
features.”
 
With the 2010 school year about to kick off, Dr Sim is realistic about the fact that we have a long way to
go before heavy text books are replaced with memory sticks and he is encouraging parents and students
to brush up on their bag carrying technique now to prevent problems later in life.”
 
The CAA recommends a fitted backpack, worn properly – over both shoulders with the waist band done
up – as a growing back’s best bet, while wheeled bag options should be treated with caution.
 
“A wheeled bag with an extendable handle may seem like a good solution for a heavy load but they
aren’t designed for the routine wear and tear that a trip to school entails,” Dr Sim explained.
 
 “Students may have to pull a bag over rough ground or grassy areas as well as lift it up stairs and on
and off public transport.  All of these actions impact normal posture and could prove problematic in the
long run.
 
To avoid the back to school backache, the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia recommends: 
 
􏰀 Backpacks should be no heavier than 10 per cent of a student’s weight when packed.
 
􏰀 Make sure the backpack is sturdy and appropriately sized – no wider than the student’s chest.
 
 
􏰀 Put comfort and fit at the top of the priority list, rather than good looks.
 
􏰀 Choose a backpack with broad, padded shoulder straps.
 
􏰀 Use both shoulder straps – never sling the pack over one shoulder.
 
􏰀 Use waist straps attached – they are there for a good reason.
 
􏰀 Don’t wear the backpack any lower than the hollow of the lower back.
 
􏰀 Don’t overload the backpack – use school lockers and plan homework well in advance.
 
􏰀 Place all heavy items at the base of the pack, close to the spine, for a better distribution of the
weight.

The health of your feet can affect the biomechanics of the whole body, particularly the lower limbs and low back. The natural motion of the foot is to roll inward (pronate) after making contact with the ground. Pronation allows the foot to adapt to the contour of the ground and act as a shock absorber for the body. Too much pronation will cause the arch of the foot to flatten excessively, placing stress and pressure on the tissues and ligaments of the foot.

Over-pronation can lead to numerous problems including plantar fasciitis, ankle pain, shin pain, knee pain, bunions, Morton’s neuroma, patellar (knee cap) tracking problems and low back pain. Over-pronation can develop if there is a family history, following pregnancy, with obesity, or with age as supporting ligaments become lax. Check your old shoes for patterns of wear – over-pronation will cause abnormal wear under the big toe and the instep.

Your chiropractor will adjust the feet, knees, hips and pelvis according to need, as well as working with the muscles of the lower limb. If over-pronation is advanced, or you spend most of the day standing or participate in running/jumping sports, orthotics (special shoe inserts) may also be required. Podiatrists are experts with this sort of technique and will measure and assess your feet to see if you need orthotics, and fit them accordingly if you do. While they may take a little getting used to, supporting the arches of the feet with orthotics can make a huge difference and put a spring back into your step!

Content ©2006-7, Your Doctor Publications.

This month I thought I would focus on some gluten free recipes as there seems to be a growing need for that sort of thing. Most recipes that contain flour can be adjusted to gluten free by using potato, rice, besan, maize flour and others. If you are gluten intolerant you’ve no doubt checked into them all already. There are who major drawbacks when using gluten free products; firstly they are more expensive than standard wheat based products. The other problem is the flours all lack the starch which bind flours together, so you have to replace it with things like xanthan gum. Gluten free self raising flour is available on the shelves, alternatively you can buy a GF baking powder to add to your other flours. I have put some recipes here on to get you going, if you enjoy those and would like to know more, I have more recipes available in my cooking classes .

Marg Kyle (from Cook for your Life - 'the cooking class that comes to you'.)

We have recently created an e-update to help keep you the client informed about our services, and to give a little bit of up to date knowledge. This month we discussed managing low back pain. If you missed out on being updated via email, we would like to invite you to download our e-update from the link below. If you would like to be on our email listing, please fill in the details on our contact page.

We would like to wish all the best of luck to our friend Franki Giorgi at this weekend's "Knees Of Fury 27" fight in Adelaide. Frank is the current Australian middle-weight Muay Thai champion and utilizes the helpful hands of our chiropractor, Luke Stubbs, to ensure he is at the peak of his powers and injury free when he fights. To read more about Frank and chiropractic, please click the link below

The fight is advertised as follows:
"The super fight between two Australian junior middleweight champions, Adelaide’s Kym Johnson and Brisbane’s Frank Giorgi. In an event that’s being broadcast on Fox Sports, Knees Of Fury 27 has one of the deepest cards of any promotion in 2009, featuring nine fighters with title belts on the one event, and some of the best in Australia fighting each other for the first time ever.

Serious bragging rights are on the line at Knees Of Fury 27, on November 14th at the ETSA Park Stadium. With showdowns across eight weight classes on the main card, this event is set to be the most entertaining night of fight’s Adelaide has ever seen."

Click here if you wish to read more about the event.

click the link below to find out more about sports chiropractic

Please click on the link below to read our latest newsletter. Find some interesting health facts, some good humour and some tips on keeping your wellness on track.

We are pleased to announce that our friends from "Cook for your Life" have been kind enough to help us out with some amazing, healthy recipes. Just go to our links page and click the recipes section, or click the link below, to get some healthy inspiration.

Chiropractic has a strong history with athletes.

It is helpful in treating injuries, but much more than this, it can help enhance coordination, and therefore is useful in enhancing athletic performance.

Chiropractic can help you to achieve your optimum power.

We would like to congratulate Micheal Shelley for winning the City to Surf, the Bridge to Brisbane and City-Bay fun runs.

Michael is a regular chiropractic patient and has received chiropractic care from Dr Luke Stubbs before every event.

He is now recognised as one of the premier distance runners in Australia, and we wish him luck as he attempts to acheive selection in the Australian Commonwealth Games Team.

Michael winning city to surf.

Firstly, since our last newsletter there have been a number of changes at Coomera Wellness Centre:

CHIROPRACTIC We have an additional Chiropractor Kate Oliver who has now joined our team, her hours are :

Tuesday 1pm -7pm; Wednesday 10am - 7pm; Thursday 1pm - 7pm; and Saturday 8am - 1pm. We welcome her warmly to our centre. Kate is an amazing chiropractor with 13 years experience. She has treated people all over the world and is highly respected by both her colleagues and patients. Kate is fantastic with all age groups and her treatment is very similar to Luke's. So if you are considering trying chiropractic treatment, you can be sure you will get great quality care no matter which of our chiropractors you see.
Dr Luke Stubbs has also changed his times, he will still be here all day Mondays 8am -4pm, Tuesdays 7am -6pm , Thursdays 9am-7pm, and Fridays 8am until 6pm.


MASSAGE

Starting August 10th, our massage therapist Tara will be available on Saturday only, from 8am.
Tracy has recently taken on a few new hours, which were made available because she has reduced her teaching schedule. Her new hours are as follows:
Mon 9am - 1pm 2pm - 6pm Tue 10am - 1pm 2pm - 7pm Wed 9am-1pm 2pm - 6pm Thu 8am -noon Fri 9am - 1pm 2pm-5pm

PODIATRY

Our podiatrist Catherine James is becoming very popular! If you suffer from heel or foot pain, plantar fasciitis or heel spur,flat feet,high arches,hip, knee or lower back pain, ankle pain, bunions corns or callouses among other things, you need to see our podiatrist! Catherine James, our Podiatrist is available Mondays from 1pm - 6pm and Saturdays 8am - 1pm. Catherine graduated from Queensland University of Technology in 1996. She has been working as a podiatrist for 12 years both in private practice and for Queensland Health and uses world leading technology to ensure the most accurate diagnosis of your feet and footprint. Catherine is becoming well known for her high quality orthotics. If you wish to see her, you will have to book in, appointments are becoming highly sort after.

RECEPTION

We have recently updated our computer and changed our entire booking system. We have had some teething problems as expected, and we do apologise for any minor inconvenience that has been caused and hope you understand the situation. By now some of you will have received a rogue SMS or not received a reminder when you did expect to. Please be patient, we do appreciate you telling us if something is not correct as this helps us with the "de-bugging" process. As we move forward, we truly believe we will be able to offer better service to you, which runs more efficiently than ever.

NATUROPATHY

Now is the time when everyone needs to see the naturopath. Dagmar is working overtime to keep everyone flu free using completely natural treatments. Somehow she has found time to write an article for the month.


Article of the Month
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Food for Thought: An old view to a young concern
Dagmar Ganser, BHSc ND(Adv)

Chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, dementia, obesity and cancer have a long latency onset and may be termed "diseases of ageing" due to their increased prevalence in the ageing population. These "diseases of ageing" are often assumed to be the inevitable consequence of a physiological decline with age, but we should ask the question: is this assumption deterministic? Furthermore if we take better care of ourselves can we impact our disease burden and live healthy lives well into old age?
While the modern pharmacological approach to disease management has a valuable place in health care it is arguably ill suited to the management of chronic disease. This is because:
1. chronic disease requires long term management and drugs are not without unwanted side effects, and 2. the best management approach is lifestyle modification.
Chronic disease processes start largely as a result of poor dietary practices. Most importantly, these processes are preventable and can be changed along with dietary habits. There is now a large body of scientific evidence demonstrating very clearly that simple dietary changes have the power to prevent, slow or even reverse the major chronic diseases.
Perhaps the greatest perceivable threat to human longevity is a diet related disease unique to the modern world, a disease of over-consumption - obesity. On 17 March 2005 a harrowing report was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The report, of which the lead author was Dr Olshansky, an acclaimed expert on human longevity, stated that "the steady rise in life expectancy during the past two centuries may soon come to an end." The report pointed out that for the first time in a thousand years our life expectancy, rather than steadily increasing, may soon witness a sharp decline. The reason is the dramatic increase in the prevalence of obesity. Obesity has been shown to have a substantial negative effect on longevity, reducing the length of life of people who are severely obese by an estimated 5 to 20 years.
Redirecting the focus to "healthy ageing" through dietary weight maintenance is a rational, safe and relevant focus for optimising quality of life.
As a qualified nutritionist and naturopath, Dagmar is able to provide you with guidance and support required for effective lifestyle modification while ensuring healthy nutritional supplementation for optimum health and vitality.


Kind regards, Coomera Wellness Team