posted: Dec. 06, 2020.

I get asked all the time what are the main reasons that infants get chiropractic adjustments at your office. Well these are my three top reasons that parents bring their infants to the office they are in no specific order , they are colic, acid reflux and ear infections. So, let's go over each one separately with the frequency, causes and treatment options. Read more

posted: Nov. 13, 2020.

Proper pH is essential for optimal health and function in the body. Ph is measure from a range of 0 to 14 with 0 being acidic and 14 alkaline. Neutral ph is 7 and our bodies struggle to maintain a slightly alkaline of 7.4. Changes in the balance of either acidic or alkaline interfere with the breakdown and absorption of essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Additional side effects are decrease energy of the cells, reduced ability to repair damaged tissues and susceptibility to illness and fatigue. An acidic state in the body allows many diseases to thrive and grow in the environment. Most Americans consume high quantities of processed sugar, white flour and animal proteins in excess creating the ideal acidic environment and diseased state. Examples of acid forming foods are meats, nuts, alcohol, coffee, sweeteners, cheese and sugars to name a few. Vegetables, fruits, spices, lentils, oils, eggs and milk are several alkaline producing foods. Acidity has been linked to cancer, heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis and many chronic diseases. Read more

posted: Oct. 24, 2020.

I have always wanted the objective data to quantify my healthy eating lifestyle. I have found the Pharmanex diagnostic testing to verify my lifestyle of healthy eating habits. Depending on their age and sex federal guidelines recommend that adults eat at least 1½ to 2 cups per day of fruit and 2 to 3 cups per day of vegetables as part of a healthy eating pattern. I personally consume more vegetables (6) than fruits (2) because I feel the vegetables have a much higher nutritional value and nutrient content with less carbs and sugars than fruits. Read more

posted: Oct. 10, 2020.

Experts estimate that 90 percent of all world-class athletes use chiropractic care to prevent injuries and increase their performance potential. All National Football League (NFL) teams rely on DCs in varying capacities, and 77 percent of athletic trainers have referred players to a chiropractor for evaluation or treatment. You don’t have to be an athlete to benefit from regular chiropractic care. At Sheppard Chiropractic, we treat patients from all walks of life, Sports (PeeWee, High School and College) and fitness levels (weekend warriors and elite athletes). Most people make the conclusion that a person visiting a chiropractor is doing so for problems with their back or neck. According to a recent study led by Dr. Simon French of the Melbourne University in Australia, most people do visit the chiropractor for these reasons. However other research is showing that people are reaching out to their D.C. for other treatments involving problems with their muscular-skeletal system, and a great deal of these patients are younger athletes. Read more

posted: Sep. 26, 2020.

Do you eat enough fruits and vegetables every day? The USDA recommends that for each meal you fill up at least half your plate with fruits and or vegetables. Unfortunately, most Americans are failing to do so. The CDC reported that in 2017, only ONE out of every 10 adults in the United States consume the recommended daily amount of these food groups. The CDC also reported that 60% of children did not eat enough fruit to meet the daily recommendations and 93% of children didn't eat enough vegetables. Read more

posted: Sep. 11, 2020.

A lot of my patients ask me about their children and about what they should (and should not) be doing to maintain proper spinal health. Since the habits formed early in a child’s life will often carry over into adulthood, it is important to ask these questions and to know what bad habits to look for and intervene on. Here I will discuss 8 different things that your child or teen should NOT be doing, and briefly explain why these things can be harmful to their health. Some of these are not extremely detailed, so feel free to ask me if you have any questions. Read more

posted: Aug. 29, 2020.

One of the most inaccurate assumptions people make about chiropractic is that it is for any certain age or condition. The truth is that chiropractic care is useful and effective for people of ALL ages and stages of life, no one is too old or too young to get an adjustment. Chiropractic care focuses on restoring and maintaining the health of the body’s nervous system. When there is interference in the nervous system, it can cause dysfunction in the body and all of its different moving parts. This dysfunction occurs when the spine is out of alignment, which puts pressure on the nervous system. This is called a “subluxation” or misalignment. These subluxations will not only affect the way the body functions, but can also cause pain due to pinched, irritated, and compressed nerves. Read more

posted: Aug. 18, 2020.

How is it that after eating extremely healthy my entire life… that I just got a passing grade in my Omega-3 fatty acid test? Well, let's see how my results turned out, what I can do to improve and give you my suggestions regarding that. Most of my adult life (I started at 19) I have eaten a vegetarian type diet with the last year being a pescatarian which I do consume fish (Tuna or Salmon) once a week. I have also consumed some level of fish oil and or flaxseed oil every day for the last 20 years. With that in mind, I still had a 5.8 level of Omega-3 Index, where the healthier average is between 8 and 12 which may help to maintain heart, brain, eye, and joint health. My Nutritional background of my mere passing grade is that your body requires continual and constant changes no matter what you may think is just healthy for you. I've taken the Standard Process tuna soft gel capsules (3 per day) for about two years and I should of been changing and adapting different levels of fish type oil whether I consumed tuna, krill, calamari, cod liver or EPA/DHA supplement in order to change things up. This Omega 3 Index test validated that unchanged consumption as we know, causes stagnation, and can easily happen. Your body quickly and efficiently adapts to the environment, exercise, food, or supplement intake when you consume the same exercise program, same type of foods or supplements over again without checks and balances. Read more

posted: Aug. 07, 2020.

Dr. Joe what could that Thoracic Park T-shirt possibly mean? Well it signifies that sharp, stabbing, and dull pain that you sometimes get in your middle back or between your shoulder blades. The shirt was designed after of course Jurassic Park with the Velociraptor and T Rex dinosaurs with their sharp claws and piercing teeth. Research shows that the prevalence of thoracic middle back pain can be very broad and based upon many factors which the prevalence ranges between as little as 4% and up to 70% at any one time in their life Read more

posted: Jul. 20, 2020.

“It’s a tech world, and most people these days spend an average of two to four hours a day reading and texting on their smart phones” - Dr. Evan Johnson, director of physical therapy at The Spine Hospital at the Neurological Institute of New York. Computers and cell phones have been around for decades now, and as the technology behind them continues to advance, so does our need for these devices. It is the new normal to own multiple different electronic devices, and even more common to spend most of the day using them. Whether for work or play, people are spending more time on their phones and computers than ever before, and their bodies are beginning to show and feel the result. Read more

posted: Jul. 04, 2020.

After a car accident, many people are left shocked, scared, and in the worst cases, physically injured. Accidents happen quickly, and can leave people feeling lost and wondering “what do I do now?” As if the financial burden of a car accident isn’t enough, victims are left questioning how long they will have to receive treatment for their injures, why they are in SO much pain, and when this pain will start to improve. The answer to these questions is not always simple and will vary from person to person. So, to help my patients better understand the reason behind their pain and provide them hope for the future, I will discuss the eight key factors that contribute to the severity of each auto accident. Read more

posted: Jun. 22, 2020.

There is a neglected exercise that I believe is highly overlooked in the world today. While it is estimated that over 80% of the population have back pain at one point in their lives and this most common complaint in my chiropractic office. We all focus on CORE exercises which is essential to help with low back strength and stability because we sit most of the day. But according to both Spine and Pain journals, neck pain has an annual prevalence rate exceeding 30% among adults in the United States. Nearly 50% of individuals will continue to experience some degree of neck pain or frequent flareups of pain also. Among adults 20 to 70% will experience neck pain that interferes with their activities of daily living. Statistically, neck pain is consistently ranked in the top five disabling disorders in the United States Read more

posted: Jun. 07, 2020.

So, Dr. Joe why is the conjugate method so important to my workouts. It’s a very simple but essential answer. As I got my Westside barbell conjugate certification in 2019, I was able to realize the importance of continually changing, adapting and being creative with your workout routines on a consistent regular basis. Read more

posted: May 22, 2020.

These are the 7 common myths and truths about chiropractic. Myth #1 Chiropractic isn't safe. Chiropractic is one of the most widely recognized and safest drug free treatments available for not only neuromuscular (neck, mid and low back pain) conditions and many other health issues. Compared to chiropractic, research shows that many other common treatments like surgery and medications pose a higher potential risk. There is certainly a time and place for all of these and I'm not advocating anything against them, however, with chiropractic treatment have a better chance of alleviating your condition without drugs, surgeries or invasive therapies. Read more

posted: Apr. 25, 2020.

People always ask me what type of vitamin supplements I should take. There are thousands of different types of vitamins (grocery, pharmacy, health food store and even gas station) and supplements companies. I’ve always said that “your food should be your vitamins” but with the way food has been processed, bleached, overcooked and hyper farmed over the last 50 plus years, it’s difficult to get the proper amount of vitamins and minerals in the foods that you eat from the severely depleted soil. Read more

posted: Apr. 12, 2020.

Staying healthy is always important, but now more than ever it is essential that we give ourselves and our bodies all the extra TLC they can get. There are many things you can do to achieve an optimal state of health, but it all boils down to how well your body can fend for itself and keep itself functioning properly. Read more