This is Part 2 of a series on texting.  Please read read Part 1, Texting Can Kill You first.

To get a deeper understanding of why we need to guard our children from the “ways of the world”, texting was reported to have addictive tendencies in the Global Messaging Survey by Nokia in 2001.  It was confirmed to be addictive in a study conducted at Catholic University of Levven, Belgium in 2004.  Since then, the University of Queensland in Australia has confirmed that text messaging is the most utilized digital service.  In fact, it’s been compared to the addiction of cigarette smoking.

As texting and FHP continue to grow, so will we see an increase of medical and chiropractic (Subluxation) conditions.  As you look around, maybe even right now as you are reading this report, you will see F.H.P.  People using hand-held devices at tables in restaurants, at red lights in cars, walking through the mall and in the line at the grocery store.

Forward Head Posture (F.H.P.) cases are paralleling the crazy amount of time we’re spending texting.  According to data released December 15, 2009 by the Census Bureau, Americans sent 110 billion text messages in December 2008, up from 48 billion only a year earlier.  WOW!

The following are the outrageous facts of what is occurring right now in your child’s spinal cord.  What I find to be very interesting is that the ‘system’ is finally catching up to what chiropractic has been teaching over the last 50 years or so.  Study the following research and find out why.

The Amazing Hidden Facts

• Long-term FHP leads to “long-term muscle strain and disc herniations” (Mayo Clinic Health Letter, March 2000)
• In regard to respiratory dysfunction in chronic neck pain patients, a recent study “demonstrated a strong association between an increased forward head posture and decreased respiratory muscle strength in neck patients.” (Cephalgia, February 2009)
• “For every inch of forward head posture, it can increase the weight of the head on the spine by an additional 10 pounds.” (Kapandji, Physiology of the Joints, Vol.3)
• “Loss of the cervical curve stretches the spinal cord 5-7 cm and causes disease.” (Dr. Alf Brieg, Neurosurgeon and Nobel Prize recipient)
• “90% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain is generated by the movement of the spine.” says Dr. Roger Sperry, Nobel Prize recipient for brain research.  Dr Sperry demonstrated that 90 % of the energy output of the brain is used in relating the physical body to gravity.  Only 10% has to do with thinking, metabolism and healing.  When you have forward head posture, your brain will rob energy from your thinking, metabolism and immune function to deal with abnormal gravity/posture relationships and processing.  (This is why we get great results with ADD and Autistic kids).
• According to Rene Cailliet, MD, Director of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at  the University of Southern California, forward head posture can add up to 30 lbs. of abnormal leverage on the cervical spine.  This can pull the entire spine out of alignment.  FHP results in loss of vital capacity of the lungs by as much as 30%.  This shortness of breath can lead to heart and blood vascular disease.  The entire gastrointestinal system is affected; particularly the large intestine.  Loss of good bowel peristaltic function and evacuation is a common effect of FHP.  It causes an increase in discomfort and pain because proprioceptive signals from the first four cervical vertebrae are a major source of the stimuli which create the body’s pain controlling chemicals (endorphins).  With inadequate endorphin production, many otherwise non-painful sensations are experience as pain.  FHP dramatically reduces endorphin production.  (Now you know why we check entire families including newborns.)
• FHP has been shown to flatten the normal neck curve, resulting in disc compression damage and early arthritis.  (Roentgenographic findings of the cervical spine in asymptomatic people. Spine, 1986;6:591-694).   Chiropractic is the only way to get to the cause!

Understanding the above facts can save your child’s life!  Now you know why M.D.’s, mid-wives, and osteopaths are referring their patients to us.  Why?  Because true, traditional, “hands only” Chiropractic is the only way to get to the root of all disease!

Thanks for reading,

Dr. John Bellomo

Mobile technology and the reality that the public at large is constantly connected, is finally starting to show its true colors.

A couple of years ago I started to notice that more and more kids were coming to my office with identical complaints.  They all had various levels of pain and tingling in the exact same areas: neck, shoulder, and tingling and numbness into the upper arms and of course, daily ‘normal stress headaches”.  I’m talking about 8, 9 and 10 year-olds.  What do you think they were doing as a solution?  “Popping pills!”  Consuming over the counter pain meds like I used to eat “Red Hots” in the 60′s.  They were covering or masking their symptoms and pretending that they would just ‘go away’.

Recently during while I was reporting my findings to the mother of a young child, she asked me, “Well, what does she have?”  I looked over at the little girl and noticed that her head was buried in her cell phone with her neck and shoulders bent forward texting someone.  With that, I replied, “It’s simple.  She has “text neck’”  I pointed out the the 10 year-old’s mother that her little girl had a reversed ‘neck curve’ with bone spurs starting to grow – at 10!  So this little girl actually has degenerative bone changes due to Subluxation – thanks to the wonderful world of technology.  Not to mention, this child is “forcing” the pain and tingling to go away by self medicating with drugs so that she can continue the foolish texting that got her into the situation in the first place.  Does this sound like anyone you know?

I asked my little member how often she texts?  She said it was “all day long”.  Her Mom figured it was about 7-8 hours/day or between 10,000 or 30,000 texts a week.  WOW and what about all the other hand-held devices, whether it’s their cell phones, portable video games like Nintendo DS, E-Readers such as Amazon Kindle, or they are just using apps on an I-Phone.  All of this is leading to F.H.P. (Forward Head Posture).  Posture equals function and when the head (weighing 5-10 lbs. in a child) moves forward off its axis, the rest of the body moves forward, as well.  Where the head goes, the body will follow.  Rolled shoulders, a concave chest and often a pelvic tuck can follow.

OK, so we are focusing on the damage texting is doing to our children but it affects adults as well.  Check back tomorrow for part 2 in this series.

Dr. John

Cell phones, once considered a luxury item, are now a mainstay of modern life.  Most parents see them as a crucial part of keeping kids safe as they can contact or be contacted day or night.  While this solves some problems, it raises others.

For today’s teen, using their phone to send text messages is a way of life.  Because text messages are seen as less intrusive than phone calls, many teens would rather text than talk.  They rely on it as instant communication when talking is taboo and email too slow.   In short texting is very popular.

Consider these  recently posted facts by Christina Warren on the Mashable Blog,

“75% of teens have cellphones, up from 45% back in 2004.
Thirty-three percent of teens send more than 100 texts per day.
Teenage boys send an average of 30 text messages per day and girls send an average of 80.”

Because so many teens are texting, it is becoming common for them to experience joint problems at young ages.  Warn your child about the dangers of continuous texting.  Let them know that if they have pain or swelling in their joints, it is serious.  In addition to obvious problems with hands and wrists, Chiropractors are noticing serious spinal changes as well.  The forward head position that most people assume as they use electronic devices puts considerable pressure on their spine and over time can change the curvature of their neck.    Did you know that each inch of forward head posture can increase the weight of your head on your spine by an additional 10 pounds?  That means if your teen looks down as he texts, it adds 20 to 30 pounds of pressure on his neck.  Over time, this added pressure can flatten or reverse the normal C curve in his neck leading to decreased immune function, neck pain, headaches, shoulder pain or numbness and tingling in his arms.  Even worse, this deformity in the spine pulls the rest of the spine out of alignment affecting every system in the body.  Clearly we need to warn our teens about what they are doing to themselves.

No one expects teens to give up their phones but parents should ask them to think about  how much they are using them and consider cutting back.  They should also think about their posture and how it might be affecting them over time.  Our world has changed and we have to learn how to be safe as we adapt to it.

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