Blog

• posted: Feb. 24, 2021
• Cryotherapy,  CryoChill,  Whole Body Cryotherapy,  cold shower,  cryochamber

As I prepare for my day mentally, physically and spiritually…I have been a proponent of an ice-cold shower to finish off my morning ritual (Mediate, Read and exercise) to not only wake me up but to excite the nervous system, release hormones (testosterone) and enhance the immune system also. With that routine in mind, there is a new Chill on the block called Cryotherapy center in my area. Whole Body Cryotherapy (WBC) is exposure to subzero temperatures. Read More

• posted: Feb. 12, 2021
• Dr. Joe,  EFA,  DHA,  salmon,  fish,  marine based,  vegan,  vegetarian,  ovolactovegetarian,  tuna,  herring,  sardines

It is hard to believe that I am coming up on my 35-year anniversary of being plant-based. During the course of that 35 years, I did try being a Vegan but the majority of the time I was a Ovolactovegetarian. In the last two years, I've become a pescatarian. It is estimated that there are 9 million Americans who are vegan, which is considered to be an overall healthy choice worldwide. While there are several drawbacks to be in a strict vegetarian, as I have learned in the past, I truly found that being a pescatarian today is the healthiest I've been in my entire life. Read More

• posted: Jan. 29, 2021
• Dr. Joe,  Sheppard Chiropractic,  subluxation,  Upper Cervical Chiropractic,  BBC,  brain body connection,  Atlas,  Axis

What is the BBC? Well, there's two meanings actually… the BBC does mean the British Broadcasting company of London, but as a pertains to your health, it is the Brain Body Connection. I truly believe that this is one the most important concepts that you can understand from a chiropractic standpoint. And the reason for that is that the brain is connected to the body at the skull and very upper neck which is what we call the Upper Cervical or atlas/axis region. Read More

• posted: Jan. 10, 2021
• Headaches,  Dr. Joe,  back pain,  neck pain,  poor posture,  Migraines,  teenager,  preteens,  adolescents,  middle back pain,  pain shoulder blades

We are all going through one of the most stressful times in our world today. Our teenagers have as much or more of that stress not only with the lack of socialization that they are not being a part of, but also extended periods of sitting in front of a computer and the continuous hours of texting that they are such a part of their daily lives. As a Chiropractor, seeing many early to late teens, they are experiencing several complaints that I am seeing on a consistent basis. These are in no specific order, starting with headaches, neck pain and upper to mid back pain. We will talk about each separately and explain some of the reasoning, the causes and my recommendations to help these young adults improve their overall health while reducing their pain and a few preventative tips for decreasing future spinal problems. Read More

• posted: Dec. 25, 2020
• Nitric Oxide,  Humann,  Beets,  Beet juice,  SuperBeets Chews,  BeetElite,  stamina,  endurance,  Blood pressure,  ATP,  blood vessel,  energy,  I Love beets

I have used nitric oxide (NO) supplements (primarily NO Explode by BSN) for several years now and seen many of the benefits that it has on my athletic performance. In 1998, the Nobel Prize was awarded for the discovery of nitric oxide and its effect on oxygen in human body and more importantly the cardiovascular system Read More

• posted: Dec. 06, 2020
• Dr. Joe,  misalignment,  subluxation,  otitis media,  Colic,  Acid Reflux,  gas,  GERD,  Ear Infection,  upper neck,  birth process,  Infants,  optimal nerve function,  Pediatric Chiropractic,  constipation

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
• Dr. Joe,  acidic,  blood pH,  alkaline,  neutral pH

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
• Dr. Joe,  Dr. Joe Sheppard,  vegetables,  fruits,  Pharmanex,  Biophotonic Scanner,  carotenoid,  Skin Carotenoid Score Index,  antioxidants,  food based supplements,  S3 Biophotonic,  Pharmanex Lifepack

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
• massage therapy,  neck pain,  Cross Fit,  Football injuries,  Concussion,  shoulder pain,  ankle sprain,  injury prevention,  performance enhancement,  Basketball,  soccer,  injury recovery

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
• vegetables,  fruits,  vegetratian,  fiber,  nutrient dense,  fruit joice,  french fries,  fruit roll ups,  dr. joe,  sheppard chiropractic,  health,  nutrition,  spinach,  kale

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
• Dr. Joe,  Dr. Joe Sheppard,  back pain,  neck pain,  headaches,  backpacks,  iphone,  tech neck,  text neck

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
• Dr. Joe,  Sheppard Chiropractic,  misalignment,  subluxation,  golden years,  pediatric,  infants,  teenagers,  baby boomers

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
• Dr. Joe,  Cod Liver Oil,  Standard process,  EFA,  Omega 3 Index test,  Fish Oil,  DHA,  EPA,  Tuna,  Krill,  salmon,  Vegetarian,  Pescetarian,  Herring,  cardiovascular,  joint mobility

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,  Dr. Joe Sheppard,  poor posture,  Middle back pain,  Thoracic Spine,  Rib pain,  Thoracic park,  Jurassic Park,  Pain between the shoulder blades,  Kyphosis,  muscle strain

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
• Headaches,  Dr. Joe,  Dr. Joe Sheppard,  misalignments,  neck pain,  poor posture,  forward head posture,  Tech Neck,  Text Neck Syndrome,  Neck Stiffness,  neck stretches,  muscle tension

“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
• Autoaccident,  whiplash injuries,  rear end collsions,  head rotation,  dr. Joe Sheppard,  Cervical sprain,  car accident,  massage,  acceleration deceleration injury,  pre-existing arthritic condition

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