Custom Orthotics

Dear Friends,
Have you ever wondered why your feet hurt?
Foot pain is a common problem problem for many of us. As I sit here in my office and open a box that contains my two new pairs of custom orthotics I recall the time when foot and leg pain was as common to me as the air I breathe.

Once upon a time I got inspired to start running. To my surprise two weeks into it I began experiencing foot pain and shin pain. Things got so bad that I had to give up training. Two years later, I told the story to my chiropractor and he told me that the problem was due to my collapsed arches (Flat feet) and that I could probably benefit from custom orthotics.

Seven years later and countless miles of running behind me which includes the completion of the L.A. Marathon in 2006 I can tell you that I am very grateful for my orthotics.

Over the last few years, I have helped many patients deal with foot, ankle and knee pain both with and without custom orthotic therapy.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing foot pain, knee pain, or low back pain that is recurring and is not getting better, orthotic or chiropractic therapy may be the right answer for you.

Feel free to contact me with any questions at drericnepo@gmail.com, 310-993-8482, or visit my website at www.drericnepo.com

Chiropractic and the World....

As many of you know, I just traveled to Costa Rica for a little R&R, and it was there were I found a great boost to my profession. Everywhere I went I met people from many different places, from the local Ticos to Americans, Canadians and Argentineans (among others). As we struck conversations the topic of what do you do always came up. When I told people I was a Chiropractor I got an overwhelming response from people. Aside from every one nearly falling on the floor and begging for an adjustment (really), people really appreciated what we do as chiropractors.
In California, we are lucky that there is a large number of Chiropractors, but in many places such as Costa Rica, there are few.


I'm happy to be back and to get back to helping you be as healthy as you can be.
If you have any questions about chiropractic and if it can help you, please don't hesitate to call me.

Best,

Dr. Eric
www.drEricNepo.com

New Years Resolutions

Dear Friends,
now it's the time when most people think about "new year's resolutions", which as you know, nobody keeps (and by nobody I mean the majority of people). The reason that most people don't make it is that they set unrealistic goals for themselves. For example, someone who never works out and is really busy, and loves chocolate covered doughnuts decides to become a fitness buff and work out 6 days a week. LIKELY? NOT! This person should probably commit to working out two to three times per week, and would probably benefit from a group work out environment in order to be accountable and also make it fun.

So here are some tips to make your new years resolutions stick:

1. Set realistic goals, and when at all possible make your goals fun! (if you are not having fun, why do it?)
2. Draw a diagram of how to achieve your goals, step by setp.
3. Don't skip steps (self sabotage)
4. Make yourself accountable.
5. Reward yourself for the completion of each goal.

Let me share one of my personal goals: I used to practice yoga two to three times per week for years. I loved it and enjoyed the benefits of yoga. I somehow branched away from yoga when my favorite teacher retired and started to practice other forms of exercise such as running, rock climbing and tennis. Now I would like to start yoga again. I know that 2-3 times per week will be very unrealistic of me at the moment, so my goal is to begin practicing yoga once per week in 2009. Thats once a week, four times a month, fifty two times a year. Doesn't sound hard right?

Well, wish me luck as I wish you luck and good health for 2009.

Dr. Eric

Back pain, chest pain and your ribs

Subluxation: a joint that is either out of it's normal alignment, restricted in motion or both, which may lead to pain and reduced overall joint and body health.

A subluxated rib is often responsible for a multitude of symptoms such as back pain, chest pain, and pain when taking a breath.
Often patients may feel like they are having a heart attack if the subluxated rib is on the upper left side. The pain is usually described as a sharp shooting pain that increases when taking a deep breath, and may radiate (travel) to the side or front of the thorax.
The reason for this is that the ribs attach to the vertebra in the back and wrap around your thorax attaching either directly to the sternum or indirectly to the sternum via the cartilage. On the inside of each rib there is a nerve called the intercostal nerve that travels along with the rib. A subluxated rib usually causes this nerve to get "pinched" and become inflamed and painful.

Muscle spasms can occur due to pain in the area around the subluxated rib.

How do we treat it? Usually a chiropractic adjustment is the treatment of choice. The chiropractic adjustment gets the rib back in proper alignment, usually significantly reducing the pain.

If you are suffering form back pain, maybe you have a subluxated rib. Call today for consultation and treatment 310-993-8482.

For more info on chiropractic care, visit my my website.

Best!

Dr. Eric

L.A. Marathon Date Pushed

Ok, so the new date for the L.A. Marathon is May 25th. This is good news for many of you who had some injury setbacks and were unable to meet the February race date. So, for those of you who were injury free, take it easy and maybe take advantage of the extra time to improve your pace by adding some speed workouts and/or hills.

For those of you who were injured, start slow. You have plenty of time to build up your strength and endurance.

The L.A.Roadrunners will be coming up with an updated training plan soon.

Good luck and see you at the finish line!

Dr. Eric

Running Injuries Lecture

If you are interested, this Saturday (10/18) I will be giving a lecture to the L.A. Roadrunners on common running injuries, and stretching. The lecture will start around 9:45AM and will last approximately 30 minutes.

The lecture will be located at an Elementary School just south of the corner of Main Street and Abbot Kinney in Venice. (you can't miss it). I will be at the Gym. Feel free to stop by and bring a friend if you like.

Dr. Eric
Click here to view my website

Vitamin D - Got some?

Today in the Health Section of the LA Times there as a brief note by a reader on vitamin D and it's impact on arthritis pain.
One reader reported tremendous benefits from increasing her Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is a very complex vitamin with multiple benefits. Since it has a huge impact on bone health, it's not surprising that an increase in it's intake helped with arthritis pain.
In order to learn more about vitamin d go to http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp

Are you in need of more vitamin D?