"Ray's Anatomy"

Most people- educated people or people in the know if asked really aren't quite sure where our first vertebra is. Often when I ask patients, "Point with your index finger along the side of your neck where you think your first vertebra is", most point in the low point of the neck not far from the little bump we all have at the base of our neck. Believe me, if that is where our first vertebra is we would be in serious trouble my friends. 

So, you may ask where the heck then is the first vertebra? If you lift up your little earlobe and point your finger just behind your earlobe against the base of your skull, believe it or not that is where the first vertebra is. The reason it is there and always has been there is because we all have a little hole in the base of our skull. Through that little hole goes the brain stem and once the brain stem peaks through that little hole the spinal cord is created. Once that brain stem becomes our spinal cord that is where the first vertebra must be to protect our spinal cord since that and the brain consist of our central nervous system. 

Always remember and never forget my friends that the central nervous system is the main computer of the human body and must be protected by bone. Those bones are the skull for the brain and the vertebra for our spinal cord. Chiropractic deals with those vertebrae and the effect that their functioning has on the amazing human body. 

So go forth and take care of yourselves. We are here for your always. 

Yours in good health, 

Dr. Ray and staff

Play Ball!

The reason this time of year is so terrific is because it is "Renewal Time" Spring is here, flowers blooming, winter leaving, Flyers are back in the playoffs, Nova are the champs and of course the baseball season begins. 

Nothing epitomizes the renewal of Spring more than the beginning of baseball season because everyone starts out fresh and everybody has the possibility of becoming World Series Champs. 

So why don't we all take advantage of this time of year and as the Phillies are chugging along why don't we take our bodies and do some things that perhaps we wanted to but have not done yet or perhaps we started to do and dropped the ball.

Pick up the ball and get that exercise regime started. Watch what you put in your mouth and make good choices with your diet. Go to whatever doctors you need to go to for check-ups and just take advantage of the renewal going on around you. Of course, why not include chiropractic as part of that regime. We are here for you to answer any questions any time. Please don't forget any new patients can come in and get a free consultation with Dr. Ray. Go Phillies, go Flyers and congrats to Villanova again!

Yours in good health,

Dr. Ray and Staff

Lots of hands, lots of feet

Certainly it is true that as most people know, you go to the chiropractor for spinal problems- neck, low back, sciatica, etc. To be sure because of the every day wear and tear of our lives, chiropractic is incredibly helpful for these problems. 

However, often the every day repetition of our lives can also cause chronic and substantial symptoms in our hands and feet. It is important to tell everyone that fortunately back then in chiropractic school, we also studied hands and feet and the bones, ligaments, tendons and articulations that comprise our hands and feet. 

Because there are 27 bones in each of our hands and 26 bones in each of our feet all the work and schlepping we do can create chronic problems due to mechanical functioning, or really mechanical dysfunction. Most of the problems people have in their hands and feet are not severe or unusual problems but they are common recurring problems. 

So run, don't walk, to your local chiropractor or give our office a call because there are so many things that can be done with finger pain, wrist pain, elbow discomfort, ankle issues, foot problems, pain in our toes, etc. As I've said, many of these problems can be fixed with a little hands on effort, mechanical manipulative treatment, some stretching, and various other easy things to do. 

Of course, please have a blessed and safe holiday with your family and loved ones. 

Yours in good health,

Dr. Ray and Staff

The Nerve of it...

Getting adjusted has many benefits: increased circulation, increase botanical function, decrease inflammation, increase joint function and many more. Another incredible benefit of getting adjusted is increasing function of our nervous system. How does this occur...I will tell you.

At the bottom of our brain, it changes shape to become stem like. At the base of our brain where the brain is now called the brain stem there is a hole in the bottom of our skull where the brain stem goes through. Once the brain stem exits the hole it is no longer called the brain stem, it's the beginning of our spinal cord. As the spinal cord goes through the back of our vertebrae which is called the spinal canal, there are 31 pair of nerves that branch off our spinal cord. These branches begin at the base of our skull just behind our ear lobe and creates 31 pair of nerves that go out of our cord through holes between the vertebrae. After that they branch out into millions of nerve fibers that go into every part of our body- our organs, arms, legs and everything else in between.

This is how our body works. There are signals that go down the brain, down the cord, out the nerves into our body. Then there are external signals that go into the nerves, into the cord and finally up to the brain- that is a 24 hour a day process so therefore...every time you get adjusted and you open up those nerve pathways and increase nerve flow you are also increasing the health of the body in many ways. Some of these ways you can feel and other signals are internal and silent. 

The point being that everything we do for our body that is good for our body has incredible and multiple benefits whether it is what we eat, exercise, sleeping or even getting adjusted. Because of these multiple benefits I urge you to stop in the office or give us a call to avail yourself of these multiple benefits. 

Enjoy the, hopeful, end of winter and the beginning of beautiful spring. 

Yours in good health,

Dr. Ray and Staff

The Greatest Love of All...

With Valentine's Day approaching I would be remiss if I didn't remind everyone, and although it may be a cliche, it is certainly true that the greatest love of all is the love of being nice to yourself. 

Unfortunately self love is hard a lot of times because we are so busy doing things for others whether it is at work or at home. It could be for your loved ones or other members of your family or perhaps your elderly parents etc. All those reasons, although important and real, often get in the way of doing things for ourselves that are important and that sustain our health. 

What also happens is that the constant doing for others affects our health in two ways: the physical and the mental. There is no denying the mind/body connection- if we neglect one the other suffers and therefore we are not living to the optimal health we can and should be.

So, I implore all of you (and for myself included) to keep working on being diligent with both the mental and the physical parts of your health. Chiropractic can certainly help with that but I can adjust people until the cows come home but if they are not in a good mental state then their body is just not going to respond. 

Please keep this in mind. Love yourselves, love your loved ones, be nice to each other. Have a wonderful and loving Valentine's day and always remember and never forget Dr. Ray is always here for you.

Yours in good health,

Dr. Ray and staff

Post Traumatic Snow Reaction "PTSR"

I woke up this morning and I felt like great, great Grandpa Resnick. My shoulders were achy, my back was stiff, my neck was hurting and I was generally in a foul mood. I have a feeling that I wasn't the only one...

That amount of snow that Blizzard Jonas gave us was past the point of ridiculousness, in fact it was past the point of absurd. Fortunately, most of us will recover in a timely fashion. Here are some things to do to help the body weather the storm...

- A moist heating pad feels great (for 15-20 minutes over achy areas)

- If you are really feeling pain, put some ice over the area (put the ice pack over a damp towel)

- Hot showers can really be soothing as they loosen the joints and help the muscles move well

- Do some easy stretching for your joints to increase mobility

- Please WALK SOFTLY WITH CARE (no slipping and sliding)

All kidding aside, unfortunately their is always a decent amount of people that get really hurt from this ridiculous weather. I don't want that happening to any of you. Be very diligent when walking outside and make sure your footing is true.  

Of course if you need us, don't hesitate to call- we are always here for you.

Yours in good health,

Dr. Ray and Staff

Birthday Thank You's

"I just want to say thank you to all patients, family and friends that wished me a Happy Birthday this week. It was a special week and being able to use social media to connect with many of you is a dream come true. I love not just being able to heal but to listen as well. Thanks again for a memorable week and please stop in the office to get adjusted if need be, the cold weather can bring out aches and pains in the body. Love to all!"- Dr. Ray