Dr. Michael Minond, NYC Chiropractor, based in Manhattan has successfully launched http://www.nyc-wellness-chiropractor.com his new website for chiropractic and overall wellness.

For years, Dr. Minond has been working to provide a natural healing experience for his patients. He believes in treating the Cause and not just the symptom of your problems, taking the aches and pains away for good.

Using a variety of advanced techniques, such as Applied Kinesiology to diagnose and treat.

I recommend checking the site out, signing up for the wellness newsletter, and scheduling a visit!

Injuries commonly treated in the office are related to the straining of muscles, ligaments, and tendons. The first stage of healing an injury, once it has occurred, is known as the reaction phase. This stage can last for up to seven days, depending on the extent of the injury and the healing process. During this time, there will be an increase in circulation in the area surrounding the injury, which leads to swelling, or edema. To limit the degree of damage caused by the injury, we usually recommend a method called RICE, which stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.

• Rest

  Be sure to rest the area that is injured. Continued activity will cause more damage, increasing the amount of swelling and tearing of cells.

• Ice

  Ice in the form of cold packs will cause local contraction of blood vessels and reduce pain. Use ice for 15 minutes every hour, for four to five hours, immediately after sustaining an injury (never put ice directly on your skin). Then, continue to use ice four to five times a day for the next three days. If you suffer from Raynaud’s (hives from contact with ice), diabetes, or any vascular disease, do not use ice on your injury. Instead, place a cold cloth over the area of the injury and call for additional help.

• Compression

  Wrapping the area of injury with an elastic wrap will reduce the amount of swelling. For example, if you have turned your ankle and it starts to swell, put an ice pack around the ankle and wrap the ankle and lower leg with an elastic bandage.

• Elevation

  If it is possible, raise the injured area above the level of your body. Again, as an example, if the ankle is injured, raise your leg above your pelvis. Or, if the wrist is injured, support your arm above the height of the shoulder. Elevation allows gravity to help remove the swelling.

What happens during an injury?

An injury can cause blood vessels to break, initiating several chain reactions. A clot is formed from proteolytic enzymes released by cells called platelets. The body creates a clot, or mesh, where the vessels have become broken. The lymphatics, the ‘sewer system’ of our vascular system, become blocked with these clots. Pain-causing substances, known as bradykinins, are released due to the injury and cause vasodilation and increased permeability of local arterioles. Other factors are also released locally to breakdown severely damaged tissue and prevent infection.


During this phase, it is important to limit the amount of inflammation. Excessive inflammation can cause increased damage to the injured area. Controlling inflammation and speeding the recovery process requires more than just taking an anti-inflammatory drug. The body uses enzymes to help clear up damaged tissue. A good analogy is a multi-car accident on a large highway. The traffic is backed up for miles on the side of the accident, and on the other side people are looking at the accident. Removing the wrecked car from the road is the first thing that has to be done to re-open the roadway. Enzymes accomplish this in the body, but taking more of the right enzymes can speed up the removal of the damaged tissue and re-establish normal blood flow to and from the injury site.


If you suffer an injury, call the office as soon as possible to schedule an appointment and have the injury examined. Depending on what is found, nutritional supplements which can help speed the healing process may be suggested. Studies have shown that taking such supplements can reduce the time it takes to heal by up to 50%, with similar levels of reduction in pain and swelling.


Remember: The window for starting treatment is very short, and the course of recovery must be started as soon as possible, so don’t delay!

Applied Kinesiology is a diagnostic tool using the muscle structure of the body to aid in the examination of a patient. Its use allows immediate feedback to aid the doctor in making decisions on what type of care the patient needs.


10 Downing Street #1U
(Entrance on 6th Ave.)
New York, NY 10014
718-930-0662
By Appointment Only
© Michael Minond.

This is Dr. Michael Minond’s newsletter. None of the content above is meant to diagnose or treat any condition or disease. If you have any symptoms, or are concerned about any condition you may have, please consult your physician or Dr. Minond. If you would like to no longer receive Dr. Minond’s newsletter please reply to this email and your email address will be removed.

Savvy Sleeping

Lie down and be comfortable. Think about how to fall asleep. Some people are curled up in a ball; others sprawled out all over the bed. How do you feel when you get up? Refreshed and ready to go, or as though you have been in a fight?

The easy answer to poor sleep is that your mattress is too hard, too soft, or just worn out. Before we blame the mattress, futon or waterbed, let’s examine the position you sleep in.

When you lie down, your muscles should be relaxed. This makes sense. However, the position that you lie in can stop many of your muscles from relaxing evenly. This results in constant pulling on your spine while you are recumbent. When you get up, these muscles are sore because they have work all night.

Proper Leg Position

Let’s start with you lying on your side. The first important position is the angle of your legs. The more problems you have with your pelvis and lower back, the more important becomes the specific the angle of your legs. In other words, the healthier you are, the greater the angle at which you can keep your legs. Rub the muscles on both sides of the lower back, these should be soft. If they are tender or contracted, raise or lower your legs to find the position where these muscles are relaxed. This is especially important if you have any low back problems. Sleeping for hours with these muscles contracted just aggravates the local injury, severely retarding the healing process.

Rub the muscle on the outside of your pelvis. If this is sore, place a pillow between your legs. The correct height will dramatically reduce the tenderness over this muscle.

If you lie on your back when you fall asleep, have someone reach in under your back and rub the muscles beside the spine. If these are tender, place a small pillow under the knees and see if this reduces the tenderness. This is more common in people who are sleeping on extremely hard mattresses.

Pillow Positioning

The next thing to check is the height of your pillow. The function of the pillow is to support you next and head. The height depends on whether you sleep on your back or on your side. On your side, the pillow has to fill the space from the tip of your shoulder to your neck.

Neck Support

Lie on your side with your pillow under your neck. Reach up and rub the muscles on the front and side of your neck. If these are tender, your pillow needs to be altered. It is just as bad to be too high as to be too low. If you view the spine from the side, the neck should be supported in a direct line with the back. The head should not angle down or up.

Find a pillow or combination of pillows that supports your neck so that there is little to no tenderness in the neck muscles.

If you lie on your back to sleep, you will need less support than when you are on your side. If you have your pillow height elevated above the optimum, you will have increased contractions in these same neck muscles.

Now you have the optimum position in which to fall asleep. If you wake in the night in another position, just roll back into the ideal position for you. You should practice getting into the correct position with someone rubbing the muscles to ensure that you have attained the optimum sleep position for yourself.

If you can’t find the correct position on your bed, try another bed. If your mattress is too soft, worn out or too hard, you will find it difficult to find a relaxed position for your spine.

If you have any problems checking these positions, please ask us about them. Bring in your pillow(s) if you want us to check your sleep posture.

IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO SLEEP IN A RELAXED POSITION.

It's that time of year again, the time when colds, influenza and other infections seem to run rampant. The stressors that cause these illnesses do so because our immune system fails to protect us from them and then has to play catch-up.

The immune system is a complex of many different glands with the sole purpose of producing different types of white blood cells that act like an army to defend against negative stressors.

Many health problems that we encounter are a direct result of a weakened immune system. Some of the problems that may be associated with a compromised immune system are arthritis, asthma, allergies, psoriasis, lupus, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, and a tendency to always be fighting some kind of infection.

Not everyone exposed to a virus or bacteria gets an infection; only those whose immune system is weak or compromised become ill.

Before we start discussing what you can do to increase the functioning of your immune system, let's talk about what weakens your immune system. Lifestyle habits are one of the greatest depressors of the immune system. Cheraskin, a medical and dental doctor, ran experiments where he subjected students to different types of stress and then tested their immune system. He found that common things like cigarette smoke, low blood sugar and stress drastically reduced immune function. One of his theories is that during a normal day, we may do things that severely limit our immune system's ability to fight back against any negative stressor. We therefore create windows of opportunity for these "bugs" to get a foothold in our bodies. Other common conditions that restrict our immune system are diets high in trans/hydrogenated fats, heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium), alcohol, fried foods, food additives, obesity, industrial pollutants, pesticides, herbicides, prescription drugs, and radiation.

There are four major areas that need to be addressed when you talk about increasing immune function.

1. Optimal Nutrition
   Our immune system depends on a series of reactions that begin in our bone marrow. There, cells are produced that will become either red or white blood cells. The ones that are used in the immune system then migrate to either the thymus gland, where they become T cells, or to the lymph tissue, where they become B cells. These are the soldiers of our immune system's army. In order for this transformation process to occur, we must have adequate nutrition. Any deficiency in the essential nutrients will result in a weak army. One of the real problems is that in peacetime, you don't need a large army. The requirements for feeding and developing that army are dramatically less then when you are at war and need a large army. Our bodies are the same. When a stressor attacks us, our immune system needs to dramatically increase the size of its army. At these times, our immune system needs dramatically higher levels of essential nutrients to feed and make the army. Ironically, this occurs just when we feel sick and don't feel like eating.

2. Exercise
   The second important factor is exercise. Exercise in moderation stimulates the immune system. It also is a way of reducing the stress related hormones that suppress the immune system. These are our "Fight or Flight" hormones. These hormones suppress the immune system and over time can impair immune system function. If they can be quickly eliminated from the bloodstream, they will have minimal damaging effects. During exercise, these hormones are quickly used up and removed from the bloodstream. These hormones are found elevated in people who suffer from depression, anxiety, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity (ADHD). Type A personalities, excessive-compulsive personalities, and persons under difficult circumstances also will produce more of these hormones. A short daily exercise program is one of the best antidotes for reducing the levels of these hormones.

3. Sleep
   Adequate sleep is another important component that stimulates our immune function. When we are in deep sleep, our immune system is active fighting whatever invader has been detected. Poor sleep patterns only hamper our immune function.

4. Mental Outlook
   Finally, your thoughts and mental outlook have a great bearing in your immune function. Norman Cousins wrote about his personal experiences with emotions and immune system. It is well known that going to bed depressed, depresses you immune function. You need to have a positive outlook, laugh and be uplifted before bed rather than depressed or saddened. If watching the news depresses you, don’t do it just before bed, Whatch “the Daily Show” instead!. Another analogy for this could be your car. You can put the best gas and oil in it and have it serviced by the best mechanic, but unless you turn the key, it will not run. Your emotional state is one of the most important factors in whether your immune system will respond or not.

Nutrition and the Immune System

Let's discuss specific nutritional requirements for our immune system. Your general diet is extremely important in keeping your immune system strong. Some general guidelines which will keep your system in a "ready" state are:

1. Severely limit saturated trans fats, food additives and alcohol.
2. Take daily a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement to obtain a broad base of essential nutrients.
3. Make sure your diet has adequate protein.
4. Make sure that you have an adequate intake of Vitamin C daily.
5. Eat 3 to 4 servings of vegetables daily.
6. Eat 2 to 3 servings of legumes weekly.
7. Eat 3 to 4 servings of omega3 fatty acid-rich foods weekly.
8. Eat 2 to 3 servings of fruit a day.

If a negative stressor compromises your immune system, or it is just in a weakened state, you may want to consider increasing specific nutrients and foods.

There are two different types of immunity problems. The first is cell mediated and controlled by our T cells. This form of immunity is dependent on proteins, Vitamins A, B-6, folic acid, C and E, and the minerals zinc, iron and selenium, and the essential fatty acids. The other form of immunity is known as humoral or antibody mediated and is controlled by our B cells. This form is dependent on proteins, vitamins B-1, B-2, B-3, B-S, B-6, folic acid, biotin and C and the essential fatty acids.

In addition, specific nutrients have been shown to enhance immune function. These include substances like pycnogenol, grape seed extract, coenzyme Q10, probiotics, Echinacea and specific mushrooms like shitake, maitake and reishi.

As infections like influenza and pneumonia “enter” through our mouth and nose, increasing foods high in vitamin A and C will strengthen the lining of the respiratory system. Deficiencies of these vitamin increase susceptibility of the lining of the sinuses, throat and lungs to infective agents. One of the first things you should do when you get that little tickle in your throat that usually signals the onset of a throat infection is to suck on “Drenamin and Cataplex ACP”. Do this every two hours for two days.

If you have the flu, try the following recommendations to speed up your recovery:

1. Drink plenty of liquids to prevent dehydration.
2. Get plenty of sleep and do not stress yourself. This reduces your immune response.
3. Do not use aspirin gums or throat sprays as they can irritate the mucous membranes.
4. Do not give aspirin to a child.
5. Do not take zinc at the same time as citrus juice or fruit as they decrease the effectiveness of the zinc.
6. Do not take alcoholic beverages with Tylenol (aceta-minophen). The combination has been linked to liver problems.
7. Cough or sneeze into disposable tissues and dispose of them by flushing them down the toilet.

As you may have read, many “germs” are resistant to antibiotics. An alternative is to increase natural antibiotics from foods. The most famous one is garlic. Researchers at Cornell University have found that garlic, onion, oil of oregano and allspice are extremely effective against a broad spectrum of bacteria and viruses.

Think of your immune system like a football team. You need a constant defense against invaders. This would be your general diet and -lifestyle supported by a multivitamin-mineral complex and daily intake of foods like garlic and onions. When attacked, you want to go on the offence by increasing the specific nutrients needed to increase your white blood cell production. If needed, you want to send in the special team players like probiotics, coenzyme Q10 and others.

As you can see, there are many variables that can be used to enhance your immune system. Don't wait until you have come down with the flu to start them. By readying your immune system to fight, hopefully you will not get an infection to start with. But if you do, you can at least shorten the length of time that you are recuperating.

Applied Kinesiology is a diagnostic tool using the muscle structure of the body to aid in the examination of a patient. Its use allows immediate feedback to aid the doctor in making decisions on what type of care the patient needs.

10 Downing Street #1U
(Entrance on 6th Ave.)
New York, NY 10014
718-930-0662
By Appointment Only
© Michael Minond.

This is Dr. Michael Minond’s newsletter. None of the content above is meant to diagnose or treat any condition or disease. If you have any symptoms, or are concerned about any condition you may have, please consult your physician or Dr. Minond. If you would like to no longer receive Dr. Minond’s newsletter please reply to this email and your email address will be removed.

Aging and Exercise

One of the most effective tools to help slow the aging process is moderate exercise. No matter when you start it, you will have positive effects on aging. The three major changes that you can feel are an increase in your strength, an increase in endurance and an increase in your range of motion. What you won’t feel is that people who exercise regularly heal from injuries faster than individuals that don’t. This finding is universal. It doesn’t matter how old you are. If you are actively exercising when you get an injury, you will heal faster than someone the same age that is not exercising.

When we age, we slowly lose the number of muscle fibers. But the size of the fibers that we have can be positively changed through exercise. One study showed that 95-year-olds increased their strength when put on a moderate exercise program geared for their age. After only 3 months, their strength increased by over 20%.

Building Endurance

Endurance, the ability to keep going, is related to muscle development and lung capacity. A 1989 study using individuals in their 70’s showed a 22% increase in lung capacity after only 6 months of exercise. Another way to say this is that after only 6 months of exercise, the 70-year-olds had the lung capacity of 50-year-olds.

Exercise does much more than increase strength and endurance. It also helps prevent osteoporosis, reduces blood pressure, aids in reducing obesity and helps prevent cardiovascular disease.

Walking Routine

The best news is that moderate exercise is almost as effective as strenuous exercise, and when it comes to injury prevention, is actually better. Ideally, start by planning your schedule to get in at least a long walk every other day. On the day you aren’t taking your long walk, try to get in a short fast walk. A walking routine like this will help your cardiovascular system and keeps your legs in shape. You should plan on some activity to exercise your arms.

Exercise Program

When choosing what exercises to do, keep this in mind: you want to prevent, or at least prolong, the effects of time. Observe how many older persons stand and walk. In general, they have lost the strength in the muscles that hold them erect. These are the muscles that run up and down our backs. Specifically, our gluteus maximus, spinal extensors, shoulder extensors and the muscles of the back of our necks.

A moderate exercise program as well as a walking or cardiovascular exercise should be part of your health maintenance program.

One of the major changes in diet over the last few decades has been the slow increase in calories that the average person eats. We can find it everywhere. Increases in fats and sugars in the diet have resulted in not only an increase in the average weight, but also an increase in cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Think of all of the empty calories that many consume in a day. Drinks like soda contain flavorings, chemicals and sugars. They contain no vitamins, minerals or proteins.

Calorie restriction will lead to increased health and prolonging of life. One of the current theories on aging involves the relationship between insulin and glucose. As we age, improper insulin handling of glucose, or sugar causes some of the changes seen in aging. Reducing calories in your diet reduces the amount of circulating insulin. When this occurs, the cells of your body can more efficiently use glucose. Not only does calorie restriction reduce your need for insulin, but it also reduces your circulating levels of glucose. The positive effects of this also include the reduction of blood fats.

You don't have to starve yourself to attain calorie restriction. The first step is to cut out those empty calories in your diet. Start with the liquids you drink. Reduce dramatically your intake of sugared liquids and alcohol. These are empty calories with little to no redeeming value.

The next step is to look at empty calorie starches. Most breads are made from grains that have been stripped of their nutrient value. Then, the company adds back in a few vitamins and calls it enriched. The end product has less nutrient values than the original raw ingredients and it is labeled as enriched. In general, try to limit your intake of white flour products. For example, a slice of bread has the same calories as four teaspoons of sugar. Two slices of bread are the calories that are needed to run one mile. It's amazing how efficient we are.

Look closely at the fats in your diet. There are good fats and bad fats. The fats that you want to reduce are the adulterated fats like partially hydrogenated oils and animal fats. Most of the fast food baked goods and store bought salad dressings are made from partially hydrogenated fats. Margarine is another example of partially hydrogenated fat. These cause imbalances in hormone type substances called prostaglandins.

The final area to look at is your intake of animal fats. Make sure that any meat that you eat has been thoroughly trimmed of all fat and all skin has been removed.

Basically, if you restrict your intake of empty calorie drinks, reduce or eliminate empty calorie breads, pastas and baked goods and reduce or eliminate bad fats, you will have a reduced calorie diet that will lead to a thinner and healthier you.

WHAT DO I EAT? The answer is a diet filled with fruits, grains and vegetables supplemented with low fat proteins and adequate amounts of essential fatty acids.

If you feel like a snack, first think about what you ate at your last meal. Meals high in empty calories will cause a release of insulin and a rebound later that makes you hungry.

If you have any doubts about your diet, write down everything you eat and drink for a week as well as the times of day you eat. Bring this to the office and we can talk about your diet. Moderate changes can have amazing effects on your health.

What Everyone Should Know about Trans Fatty Acids and Cholesterol

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are trans fatty acids?
A: Trans fatty acids are fats that are found in food such as vegetable shortening, margarines, crackers, candies, baked goods, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, salad dressings and most processed foods.

Q: Why should I care about trans fat?
A: Because there is a direct, proven relationship between diets high in trans fat content and LDL cholesterol levels. This relates directly to an increased level of bad cholesterol. Elevated cholesterol in your body increases your chance of getting heart disease more so than in those individuals who have a healthy cholesterol level. Over time, bad cholesterol can build up on the walls of the arteries that carry blood to your heart and brain.

Q: What is cholesterol?
A: Cholesterol is a waxy material found in all parts of your body. It is used to make your cells, some hormones and vitamin D. It’s sources is two-fold: your body makes it and the foods you eat contain it. Your liver makes all the cholesterol your body needs.

Q: Aren’t all fats bad?
A: No. There are good fats and bad fats. Similarly, there exists good and bad blood cholesterol. Saturated fats and trans fat have bad effects on cholesterol levels. Polyunsaturated fats and monosaturated fats (such as olive oil, soybean oil and corn oil) have good effects. Good cholesterol (HDL) takes the bad cholesterol out of your blood and keeps it from building up in your arteries. Bad cholesterol (LDL) makes cholesterol build up on the walls of your arteries and increases your chances of heart disease and strokes.

Q: How much trans fat is too much?
A: Research studies are currently underway to try and determine this. However, it is accurate to say that the less saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol consumed, the better. Trans fat, while pervasive in many of the foods that you may choose to eat, is NOT essential to a healthy diet.

Q: How can consumers know if a product contains trans fat if it’s not identified on the nutrition label?
A: Consumers can know if a food contains trans fat by looking at the ingredients list on the food label. If the ingredients list includes the words shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or hydrogenated vegetable oil, the food contains trans fat. Ingredients are listed in descending order of predominance, smaller amounts are present when the ingredients is close to the end of the list.

Q: What can I do to lower my cholesterol levels?
A: Here are several ways to lower your cholesterol levels thereby helping lower your chance of heart disease:

• Eat foods with less fat, saturated fat and cholesterol and avoid trans fats.
• Take off the skin and fat from meat, poultry and fish.
• Broil, bake, roast or poach instead of frying foods.
• Eat lots of fruits, whole grains and vegetables every day.
• Eat less sausage, bacon, salami, bologna, any fatty sandwich meat, whole milk, cheese, butter and avoid partially hydrogenated oils.
• Read food labels to learn how much fat is in the food you eat. Also look for the amount of trans fats, saturated fat and cholesterol in food.
• Get plenty of exercise every day. Some examples of good ways to exercise include walking, yard work, housework, dancing, aerobic dance, running, swimming, jumping rope and bicycling.
• Lose weight if you are overweight.
• Stop smoking.
• Talk to us about tailoring a program that is right for you.

One of the major problems we have today is when acute back pain becomes chronic. When symptoms last seven weeks or more, the condition is considered chronic. Chronic low back pain is the number one cause of disability in the working population and recovery to pre-injury status for chronic low back pain diminishes when time passes.

Low back pain, resulting in prolonged disability, is the most prevalent and costly work-related problem in most industries. Yet, despite its prevalence most low back pain has no identifiable cause. Most of these patients have had extensive testing including MRI’s or CAT scans looking for a disc protrusion or tear that would explain the chronic pain they are experiencing. In most cases, these tests only reveal aging of the spine, and arthritis. There are many theories, but no supporting data to prove them. One of the major problems is that many practitioners take only one aspect of the patient’s problem into account when planning a treatment program. Back pain has many causes and is usually mutifactorial in origin and will need a mutifactorial approach in therapy.

The successful treatment of chronic back pain usually involves therapies to multiple tissues. For example, the muscles in the area of pain will show changes. Some may be weak and not supporting you properly while others are shortened or over contracting. The ligaments that bind your bones together can be normal functioning or they may be short, overly tight, or weak and flaccid. The fascia, the shiny covering that covers the muscles, like a suitcase, can be tighter than normal and require treatment. The individual bones and joints can be misaligned or locked up irritating different types of nerves causing pain, ache and reflex muscle function. In addition to all this, you may have inflammation in the area due to tissue damage, which can add to the chemical stress in the area.

Our bodies are like a house in some ways. We need a stabile base. The walls should be straight and the roof should be on level. When the base or foundation of the house sinks, the walls become crooked, the windows don’t open right, and the roof changes and leaks. Most chronic back pain begins with a change in our foundation. The proper alignment and functioning of our pelvis and lower spine are critical to form the base for proper spinal function.

It used to be thought that bed rest was the most important factor in treating back pain. Over the last few years, the importance of motion has been discovered. Movement allows for normal healing of the injured structures and increases the circulation into and out of the areas that have been damaged. Consequently, one of the first goals is to get you moving properly. That means walking and standing without pain or ache.

Back pain makes you stand in awkward positions to try and avoid it. Unfortunately, the positions you get into many times makes you worse. There is a reason that people feel comfortable in crazy positions. They are contorting themselves to avoid ache or pain, but in doing so the problem becomes more ingrained.

Early treatment is fast and effective. The longer the time from injury to initiation of treatment, the more chronic and harder the condition is to treat, and the potential is there for a degree of permanent disability to occur.

Steps to prevent back pain:

• Exercise regularly to keep back muscles strong and flexible. The exercise should include some stretching.
• Use the correct lifting techniques (lift all objects close to your body and avoid twisting, bending forward, or reaching while lifting).
• Maintain proper body weight and avoid smoking.
• Maintain proper posture when standing or sitting.

Although back pain is common, it's also quite possible for you to prevent most back problems with simple steps such as exercise and adopting new ways to sit and stand. Even if you've injured your back before, you can learn techniques to help avoid recurrent injuries.

In our office, we are interested not only in finding the cause of your back pain, but also helping you to develop good preventative measures to ward off your next bout with this problem.

If 80% of Americans have problems with their back, don’t be surprised if you are one of them. Work with us to help you develop good patterns of stretching, exercise and posture to minimize your chances of another “attack”.

Applied Kinesiology is a diagnostic tool using the muscle structure of the body to aid in the examination of a patient. Its use allows immediate feedback to aid the doctor in making decisions on what type of care the patient needs.


10 Downing Street #1U
(Entrance on 6th Ave.)
New York, NY 10014
718-930-0662
By Appointment Only
© Michael Minond.

This is Dr. Michael Minond’s newsletter. None of the content above is meant to diagnose or treat any condition or disease. If you have any symptoms, or are concerned about any condition you may have, please consult your physician or Dr. Minond. If you would like to no longer receive Dr. Minond’s newsletter please reply to this email and your email address will be removed.

One of the common symptoms people have are leg cramps. There are three major classifications of leg cramps:

• Waking at night
• Post exercise
• Walking and limit the distance one can walk

The last instance may be a symptom of a potentially serious problem. Luckily, this is the least common cause of leg cramps and is known medically as intermittent claudication. More on this later.

If you wake at night with a leg cramp, many times you have to jump out of bed and stand on your leg to get the muscle to relax. Other ways of getting temporary relief are to strongly flex and extend your toes while massaging the knot in the muscle. These are all ways of reducing the spasm once it has occurred.

The main way to prevent these types of cramps is to attack them nutritionally. In general, you have an imbalance in your intake of calcium, magnesium and vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium. Calcium and magnesium are essential to control the degree of contraction of the muscle itself. Using Applied Kinesiology testing procedures along with a dietary intake survey, it is possible to determine which nutrients you are deficient in as well as help determine the best sources of these. There are many different types of calcium and magnesium. Some are easily absorbed; others are more difficult. Testing helps to determine which form is best for you. An old remedy for leg cramps like this was quinine, as is found in tonic water. This may help once normal levels of calcium and magnesium are included in the diet.

The next most common type of leg cramp is the post exercise cramp. These cramps are due to electrolyte imbalances or a deficiency known as glycine. Glycine is essential for muscles to maintain a relaxed state. With glycine deficiency, muscles stay in a semi-contracted state and are very tender when you rub them. The maintenance of glycine levels is dependent on your intake of folic acid. Folic acid is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies; it also plays a role in preventing certain birth defects and reducing a substance known as homocysteine, which has been related with cardiovascular disease. Electrolyte imbalances center around dehydration and the balance of minerals like potassium and sodium. Again, Applied Kinesiology techniques can be used to exactly determine what approach should be taken. Should you increase your water intake, increase potassium foods or supplements or increase or decrease sodium intake?

A good rule for water intake is that you should have to urinate every two to three hours. If you abide by this standard, you will adjust your water intake to take into account hot humid weather or an increase in physical activity.

Now, more on the condition called intermittent claudication, this is a condition that is suspected when walking causes a leg cramp. This can be due to a number of conditions that affect the blood flow to the leg. You can have either a decrease in blood getting to the leg or getting back out of it. How you walk and the length of your stride can have a bearing on this type of cramp. There are structural problems, such as an imbalanced pelvis, that shifts more weight on to one leg. Or conditions that cause pressure on the arteries and/or veins of the leg that contribute to these types of cramps.

The Shute brothers in Ontario Canada first wrote about the relationship of a deficiency in vitamin E with intermittent claudication years ago. There are some very simple tests that can be done in the office that help to determine whether you are a candidate for an increase this vital nutrient to reduce your leg cramps. It is very important to adjust the dose of this nutrient to your needs and not overdose yourself. As described above, there are different forms of vitamin E, as well as different sources of it. There are natural forms and synthetic forms. There are d-alpha tocopherol and mixed tocopherols. The real question is which form and amount is best for you.

There are other nutritional deficiencies that can cause this type of muscle cramping. These can run the gamut from a deficiency in phosphorus and niacin, to minerals like magnesium. Applied Kinesiology testing, along with a complete history and a dietary survey, help us to identify the most effective natural therapy.

Conditions that can mimic claudication are nerve entrapments. It is possible for nerves to become entrapped in the spine, pelvis or in the lower leg, and may cause similar symptoms in the lower leg. One of the differentiating characteristics is that vascular pain tends to let up within two minutes of stopping a walk. Nerve pain usually takes over ten minutes to be reduced by changing your position. Another easy-to-use test is that nerve entrapments always have muscle weakness patterns that can help to identify them. The problem is that some people have both problems and accurate diagnosis is essential for proper treatment.

Applied Kinesiology is a diagnostic tool using the muscle structure of the body to aid in the examination of a patient. Its use allows immediate feedback to aid the doctor in making decisions on what type of care the patient needs.


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