KeeogoTM for Parkinson’s
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder that affects a person’s ability to move. It is often referred to as a motor system disorder. When a person has Parkinson’s, some cells within the brain, known as neurons, begin to malfunction and eventually start to die off. Healthy neurons produce dopamine, which helps control the body’s movements. As neurons fail, that affects how the body moves.
Parkinson’s disease primarily develops in adults 50 or older. The exact cause of the disease is not known. Though there is no cure for Parkinson’s, there are treatments that can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.
Symptoms
The signs of Parkinson’s disease are four unique symptoms: impaired balance and coordination, slow movements, stiffness in the torso, arms or legs and trembling in the hands, legs, arms or face. There is no specific test for Parkinson’s disease, so doctors will look for these symptoms when attempting to make a diagnosis. Most often, symptoms begin subtly and gradually worsen over time. Some people with Parkinson’s may only experience one or two of these symptoms and others may have all of them.
Parkinson’s disease can vary greatly from person to person. Some may have only mild symptoms, such as a bit of trembling that stays consistent for many years. In others, the disease can progress quickly to the point where the person is severely disabled and heavily dependent on others for care. Over time, the initial symptoms of Parkinson’s can lead to complications with chewing, swallowing, speaking or breathing. Difficulty using the bathroom and sleeping are also common.
Treatment
Medications, surgery and certain therapies are all used to treat Parkinson’s disease. The most common treatment for Parkinson’s, and the one that is usually tried first, is a combination of two drugs, levodopa and carbidopa. This replenishes the brain’s supply of dopamine and alleviates some symptoms, but its effectiveness wears off with time. Other drugs can be used to increase levodopa’s effectiveness and also to treat other symptoms. A therapy called deep brain stimulation, using electrodes, also has been approved for Parkinson’s.
Lifestyle Management
While the medical community still tries to figure out which therapy works best to cure PD, a recent technological breakthrough called KeegoTM , allowed patients with PD to achieve a remarkable improvement in their lifestyle. Without the KeegoTM device, patients walked slowly, had to stop when taking stairs from exhaustion, had a difficult time picking up objects from the floor, exerted strenuous effort, when getting up from a chair to walk down the hall. Patients with PD wearing a KeegoTM device were able to achieve healthy movement patterns during several clinical trials. The same patients were able to walk about quickly, had no trouble walking up or down the stairs, picked up objects from the floor with little effort, and were able to easily sit down, and get up from the seat without propping themselves up with their hands.
If you suffer from Parkinsons Disease, please see a specialist at the PRI clinic. They are specifically trained to properly introduce your body to the KeegoTM device, which will allow your body to achieve a remarkable improvement in your lifestyle. We’ll be more than glad to help you when you call or follow these links.
Tel: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

Longevity and Performance
With the new NFL season half-way through, we can’t help but remember one of the biggest stories during Super Bowl 52, which outlined super longevity and performance of Tom Brady. He redefined what is possible for athletes over forty. His nutrition and fitness routines along with his utilization of chiropractic care are well documented and vital to his success.

While healthy eating and fitness seem like common sense, so is the importance of a healthy spine and nervous system. This is the reason why so many players in every single NFL team receive chiropractic care all season and of course leading up to the big game in February.
Chiropractic care helps athletes in every sport heal quickly and optimize performance.
Many of the greatest of all time have set this precedent. Current Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice are huge chiropractic advocates. Emmitt Smith is the leading rusher in NFL history, a perennial Pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl Champion. When he retired with over 18,000 yards, Smith said, “I thank God, my family and my chiropractor.” Chiropractic care helped speed his recovery time and function at the top of his game. His career lasted nearly six times longer than the average NFL running back.
Jerry Rice is considered the greatest receiver in the history of the NFL. His durability and work ethic are legendary. He initially sought chiropractic care following an injury on the field. After learning about the benefits of chiropractic care from his teammates he made chiropractic care a regular part of his training routine and lifestyle. He is a three-time Super Bowl Champion and today he is an official spokesperson for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. His high-level career also lasted six times longer than the average receiver.
Another chiropractic advocate, 2012 Hall of Fame Semi-finalist Roger Craig, was a pioneer in the NFL. He is the only player to ever make the Pro Bowl as a fullback and a halfback, the first player to rush and receive for over 1,000 yards in a single season -a feat that took 14 years to be duplicated, and he is the only running back in NFL history to ever lead the league in receptions. He is a three-time Super Bowl Champion and is the only NFL player to make the playoffs for eleven straight years.
Like many children, Roger began receiving chiropractic care at an early age and today, like the others, still receives chiropractic lifestyle care. In fact, Roger endorsed the #1 bestselling fitness book, The 100 Year Lifestyle Workout, which he recommends for athletes, young and old, because it stresses the importance of a healthy structure, spine and nervous system with chiropractic care as a core part of the training. This helps you maximize your performance, prevent injuries and support your longevity.
We’ve all seen videos of old time professional athletes who pounded their bodies into submission and became cripples when their career was over. This is not true for these three athletic superstars and it is no longer the norm as many professional, Olympic and youth sports programs have chosen to make chiropractic care a core part of their programs and many of the leaders of the Olympic sports medicine team today are chiropractors.
All three of these athletes took a tremendous beating over their careers which began in Little League and continued into the pros. Chiropractic care as a part of their lifestyle, training and overcoming injuries has helped show us all that you can play high-level sports and retain your health after you retire.
Don’t wait for an injury. If you’re an athlete or participate in an exercise program, be like these Hall of Fame and Super Bowl Champions. Make Chiropractic Lifestyle Care your top priority and see a specialist at PRI clinic.
Call our office for more information on how to move in congruence with your bodies and jump on that health wagon!
Tel: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

Eat Breakfast to Lose Weight
If you’re like most Americans or Canadians, you eat a high-carb breakfast packed with grains, dairy, and sugar, or you don’t eat breakfast at all either because you’re too busy or you want to lose weight. Either way, you’re not doing yourself any favors.
Breakfast is exactly what it sounds like — the breaking of a fast. After 8-plus hours of no food, your body needs fuel to bring its systems up to speed and maintain even energy for the day. As it turns out, eating a solid breakfast is one of the best things you can do to lose weight. It also helps assure a clear mind, steady emotions, and plentiful energy throughout the day.
Skipping breakfast can actually make you gain weight!
We’ve all been taught the “calories in vs. calories out” theory for weight loss. In an effort to cut calories, we skip breakfast because it’s the easiest meal to do without, especially if we tend to wake up with no appetite or we’re always in a rush to get to work. But while calories can matter, skipping breakfast can actually lead to weight gain:
When you wake in the morning, your blood sugar is already low. Skipping breakfast (or any meal) allows it to go lower and impairs insulin sensitivity, which leads to weight gain.
Chronic low blood sugar creates a cascade effect in your hormonal system that directly affects your body’s ability to deal with stress. This can result in increased inflammation throughout your body, which can lead to weight gain. Low blood sugar also causes brain fog, mood issues, insomnia, decreased brain function, and other health issues. None of these symptoms will help you stick to a healthier eating plan.
Skipping breakfast has interesting behavioral effects; research shows that people who skip breakfast tend to reach for higher calorie foods once they do eat, leading to higher total daily calorie consumption than those who ate a solid breakfast. This is partly because missing meals causes the brain to become primed toward higher-calorie foods like it would during starvation or famine.
Skipping breakfast makes you more likely to binge on sugary foods that result in an energy crash later in the day—making you less likely to go out and get that much-needed exercise. (PS: A big sweet, milky coffee drink with whipped cream is not a breakfast.)
Eat a protein-strong breakfast for weight loss and steady energy
You know you need to eat breakfast. But eating traditional carb-heavy breakfast foods such as cereals, bagels, muffins, and fruit smoothies isn’t a great idea; they sabotage your weight loss goals by destabilizing blood glucose and insulin after the night’s fast, as well as kicking cravings for quick-energy sugary stuff and junk foods into high gear.

Eating a nutrient-dense, lower carb breakfast with plenty of protein and healthy fats provides the brain and body with proper fuel, balances your blood sugar and insulin, and gives your metabolism a boost for the day.
Studies show a protein-strong breakfast can also reduce hunger hormones, increase the chemical that tells your brain to stop eating, improve your sense of satiety, and reduce evening snacking.
For further info, please see a nutritionist at PRI who will guide you into proper nourishment patterns. We’ll be more than glad to help you when you call or follow these links:
Tel: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

Get your ESS in shape!
Regular exercise is an important part of self-care and nobody can do it for you. Exercise keeps our minds and bodies healthy. You can do this at any level and any age to make the fitness part of self-care fun and exciting. If you are not currently exercising, are you waiting to be forced into it by a crisis? If you are already exercising, take it to the next level and Get Your ESS in Shape. Your ESS is made up of your: Endurance, Strength, Structure.
Endurance = Longevity
Life is a marathon one sprint at a time. Based on your current habits and health, would you trust your body to take you on a long-distance trek in an emergency? If you had to count on your body to save a loved one, would you be able to? If you had to run away to escape danger, could you? Your endurance is important for all these activities, and it is important for longevity.
If you have good endurance, you will enjoy a great sense of stamina and activity now and while you age. Your energy will be high and you will feel like doing things. You will not be left home alone while your partner goes off to experience the world. You can increase your stamina through cardiovascular, aerobic, exercise that strengthens your heart, burns calories, and increases your energy. Running, cycling, swimming, and power walking are just a few examples of types of exercise that will increase your endurance.
Endurance training is very important to keep your heart and lungs healthy, eliminate stress, and strengthen your immune system. Always exercise with a heart monitor to maximize your results and achieve your goals, while also ensuring that you exercise safely within the normal ranges for your age.
Strength = Independence
Strength training is also important for healthy aging because you are going to want and need strong muscles to keep you confident and maintain your independence as you age. We’ve all seen how an older person can struggle to get out of a chair. If you have good strength, you are more likely to remain self-sufficient and independent. Strength training can be done through weights, yoga, and Pilates. When you set goals for strength training and continually strive to achieve them, you will be excited to see that your strength can increase as you age. Your muscles can stay strong and defined. The sagging skin and muscles often come from not keeping your body toned through strength-training exercise.
If you are already an experienced strength trainer and have a routine, shake it up a little bit. Try increasing your weight by 10 percent to 20 percent. Get somebody to spot you if necessary and try to squeeze out a few more reps. Vary your exercises on each body part. Personal Trainers and many of the neighborhood fitness centers and chains, have become extremely popular because they set up your routines and vary them for you. Work out with a partner and challenge each other. You will begin to see a better result. Always maintain good posture when you strength train to ensure that your form is good and your spine stays healthy during your training.
Structure = Activity
In countries where longevity is much higher than in North America, good posture and a healthy spine are a very high priority. Your structure includes your body shape and physical frame. Keeping your structure aligned and balanced will keep you looking good and help to prevent injuries while you exercise. This will also help insure that your nervous system stays healthy which will keep you healthier on every level.
How is your structure now? Have you measured yourself lately and set goals for your structure so that it is in the shape you desire over your lifetime? You can measure your structure with your eyes at first and decide how you want to change your shape, or get a tape measure and record your specific measurements. This will give you a starting point for goals that you want to set.
Another important way to evaluate your structure is through a posture test. Stand in front of a full length mirror with your eyes closed. March in place for five seconds, stop, hold still and open your eyes. Is your head tilted to one side? Are your shoulders and hips level? Are your feet straight, turned in or pointed out? Are you hunchback or swayback?
If you are unbalanced, you will be putting unnecessary strain on your structure, spine and nervous system when you exercise and run the risk of injury to your structure and nervous system. Don’t wait for a crisis to force you to take action. Now is the time for a chiropractic checkup.
Talk to your chiropractor further on how to improve your endurance, strength and structure. If you don’t have a regular chiropractor, please call our office and we’ll be more than glad to help you out.
At PRI, we host a dedicated training facility and a team of trained physiotherapists and chiropractors, who will help improve your ESS. We look forward to helping you out!
Tel: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

Bad back? You might be brushing your teeth wrong
Ergonomic Advice Part 2
Polyclinic Rehabilitation Institute is launching a consumer campaign to highlight the simple daily activities that are contributing to musculoskeletal conditions. Last week we described 5 simple activities such as brushing teeth, using mobile devices or watching TV that are regularly done in a position that puts muscles, joints and limbs under pressure. Here are the other 5, of our top 10 list.
6. Carrying Items Up/Downstairs and Stocking High Cupboards
What you’re doing wrong and how it can affect you – Simple lifting and carrying advice is everywhere, but most people still ignore it! Twisting and over-reaching whilst carrying items damages your lower back, upper back and shoulders, while repeatedly lifting and carrying heavy loads can cause repetitive strain injuries to the knees.
PRI advice – Hold items close to your body and keep your back straight. Twist from your feet, not your back or shoulders. NEVER try to carry something you struggle to even lift, get someone to help you instead.
7. Making the Bed
What you’re doing wrong and how it can affect you – There might be fewer ‘hospital corners’ in bedrooms these days but twisting and over-reaching to cover all four corners of the bed with sheets and duvets can still damage your upper and lower back and shoulders.
PRI advice – Don’t bend over to reach across the bed, bend your knees and keep your back straight. Get someone to help, especially when changing duvet covers.
8. Washing Windows
What you’re doing wrong and how it can affect you – The Karate Kid mantra of ‘Wax on, wax off’ is worth remembering when washing windows! Twisting and over-using one arm can damage your upper and lower back and shoulders, while gripping for extended periods and using repetitive motions can also cause elbow injuries.
PRI advice – Avoid using one side of the body more than the other by alternating hands or using a different hand to clean each window. Keep your body straight at all times and wash windows from a face on position. Use a ladder for high windows and take a break if necessary.
9. Watching TV
What you’re doing wrong and how it can affect you – Chilling on the sofa after a long day. What can possibly go wrong? Well, sitting with your legs crossed can damage your hips and knees, and sitting for too long, or just leaning forward in excitement, can damage your lower back.
PRI advice – Stand up, or at least uncross your legs, every 20 minutes. Sit with your back straight and make sure you’re face-on to the screen, not at an angle.
10. Folding Washing
What you’re doing wrong and how it can affect you – Surely folding your clothes can’t be risky? Guess again! Stooping over to fold clothes on a low surface, or doing it while sitting on the sofa and twisting from one side to the other, is a nightmare for your lower back. Doing this task while kneeling down won’t do your knees any favours either!

PRI advice – If you’re standing up to do your folding, put the clothes on a surface which is at waist height to stop you bending over. Alternatively, do it whilst sitting upright in a comfortable position at a table. And think ahead when putting your folded clothes away – try storing commonly used items, such as socks, in drawers at waist height, and those you use the least, like jumpers in the winter, in lower drawers.
If you’re suffering from a musculoskeletal injury, physiotherapists, massage therapists and chiropractors at PRI can help you.
For further helpful advice, please reach out to:
Tel: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

Bad back? You might be brushing your teeth wrong
Ergonomic Advice Part 1
Polyclinic Rehabilitation Institute is launching a consumer campaign to highlight the simple daily activities that are contributing to musculoskeletal conditions.
According to the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, the majority of bad backs, aches and pains that are treated by doctors are non-work related, and therefore picked up at home or in leisure time, so PRI looked at some of the everyday tasks that people could be doing incorrectly and which are therefore impacting on their health and wellbeing.
After analyzing the problems that their patients present to us, we have highlighted the top ten simple activities – such as brushing teeth, using mobile devices or watching TV – that are regularly done in a position that puts muscles, joints and limbs under pressure. The following is a consumer guide showing how NOT to do them, the impact they can have and how to do them correctly.
1. Checking Social Media on Mobile Devices
What you’re doing wrong and how it can affect you – Whether sitting or standing, most of us hold devices in our lap, or below chest level, causing us to look down or lean forward, resulting in damage and muscle stiffness in the upper back and neck. Staring at the screen for too long can also cause eye strain.
PRI advice – Always hold the device at chest height, so the top of it is level with your eyes, and take regular screen breaks.
2. Brushing Teeth, Ironing and Washing Up
What you’re doing wrong and how it can affect you – Also known as ‘waiter’s lean’ these tasks often involve leaning forward over an object – such as a sink or ironing board – and repeatedly twisting, which can cause damage to your lower back, neck and shoulders.
PRI advice – Use a small foot stool or bathroom scale to lift one foot. This stops you from leaning, forces you to adjust your posture and keeps your lower back straight.
3. Vacuuming
What you’re doing wrong and how it can affect you – If you move your whole body while leaning and twisting to vacuum, it can hurt your upper and lower back. Similarly, over-reaching can put a strain on your shoulders and gripping the vacuum for extended periods is bad news for your elbows.
PRI advice – Keep your back straight and move your arms, not your spine. Take regular breaks or share the task with someone else. Make sure the vacuum isn’t too heavy for you to move BEFORE buying it.
4. Emptying the Dishwasher/Washing Machine
What you’re doing wrong and how it can affect you – If you simply bend from your waist to load or unload a machine – especially with heavy items such as pans or wet towels – you put strain on your upper back, lower back and hips. Kneeling is no better as it is torture for your knees, while repeatedly gripping and lifting items can damage your elbows.
PRI advice – Keep your back straight, bend from the knees and avoid kneeling. Load the heaviest items at the front of the dishwasher and don’t twist when unloading them.
5. Putting Babies and Children into Car Seats
What you’re doing wrong and how it can affect you – Twisting and leaning forward or over-reaching while holding the baby can harm your lower back and shoulders.
PRI advice – Hold the baby close to your body, bend with your knees and move your feet – don’t twist your back. Prepare by doing light back stretching exercises first.
Stay tuned for 5 more pieces of ergonomic advice next week.

If you’re suffering from a musculoskeletal injury, physiotherapists, massage therapists and chiropractors at PRI can help you.
For further helpful advice, please reach out to:
Tel: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

Gluten can cause depression and other brain disorders
Do you suffer from depression, anxiety disorders, brain fog, memory loss, or other brain-based issues? While conventional medicine turns to drug treatments, recent research points to poor gut health as the root of mental illness. This is because inflammation in the gut triggers inflammation throughout the body, including in the brain, bringing on depression, anxiety, brain fog, memory loss and other neurological symptoms. Although many factors affect gut health—and hence brain health—one of the more profound is a sensitivity to gluten, the protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and other wheat-like grains. In fact, gluten sensitivity has been found to affect brain and nerve tissue more than any other tissue in the body.
Gluten sensitivity once was thought to be limited to celiac disease, an autoimmune response to gluten that damages the digestive tract and is linked to depression. However, newer research has confirmed the validity of non-celiac gluten sensitivity, an immune response to gluten that causes many symptoms, including digestive problems, skin rashes, joint pain, and neurological and psychiatric diseases. Recent research shows how gluten degenerates brain and nervous tissues in a significant portion of those with gluten sensitivity.
How Does Gluten Affect Mental Health?
Gluten can affect mental health in a variety of ways.
For instance, gluten sensitivity can lead to depression, anxiety, brain fog and other brain symptoms by irritating the lining of the small intestine, resulting in “leaky gut,” a condition in which the intestinal wall becomes overly porous. This allows undigested food, toxins and bacteria into the bloodstream where they trigger inflammation throughout the body and brain. Also, certain harmful bacteria that travel through a leaky gut into the bloodstream release toxic molecules (lipopolysaccharides) that are linked to depression and various psychiatric disorders.
Another way gluten can trigger depression is through gluten cross-reactivity. Because gluten is similar in structure to brain tissue, when the immune system attacks gluten in the blood, it can confuse brain tissue with gluten and accidentally attack brain and nerve tissue as well. This reduces brain function that this tissue was responsible for.
Gluten is also known to disrupt the balance of good and bad bacteria in the digestive tract. There is a relationship between gut bacteria and the brain, and an imbalance in gut bacteria has been linked with psychiatric disorders.
The gut damage caused by a gluten sensitivity can also prevent the absorption of nutrients essential for brain health, especially zinc, tryptophan, and B vitamins. These nutrients are critical for the synthesis of brain chemicals that prevent depression, anxiety and other brain-based disorders.

What Steps Can You Take?
If you are experiencing depression, anxiety, brain fog, memory loss, or other unresolved brain-based issues, testing for gluten sensitivity can be a valuable tool in knowing how best to manage it. Addressing leaky gut is also paramount.
Ask the nutritionist in our office for more information on leaky gut and the connection between gluten and depression, anxiety, brain fog, memory loss, and other brain-based disorders.
We will gladly help you out at:
Tel: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

Intramuscular Stimulation Q & A
WHAT IS IMS (Intramuscular Stimulation)?
Our bodies have an exceptional capacity to heal themselves. We have all experienced cuts and scrapes and observed how efficiently our body is able to heal that injury. This healing power is not limited to cuts and scrapes, but applies to many tissues in the body including damaged or strained muscles. When muscle spasm and pain does not heal itself medical practitioners are often perplexed. In the absence of any signs of tissue damage or inflammation, practitioners are not able to explain the cause of ongoing pain. Patients suffering from chronic muscle pain often become frustrated as repeated trials of various forms of treatments fail, or when they are told that nothing can be done for their pain.
HOW WAS IMS FOUNDED?
From 1966 until 1980 Dr. Gunn was a member of the medical staff of the Workers’ Compensation Board Rehabilitation Clinic in Vancouver. It was here, where he encountered many patients suffering from chronic muscle pain, in the absence of any obvious tissue damage or inflammation. While working with this population he observed consistent similarities and objective findings among these patients. It was this experience that led him to explain the cause of their ongoing pain, Peripheral Neuropathy, and subsequently develop the IMS treatment model. Dr Gunn has been awarded the Order of British Columbia and became a member of the Order of Canada.
WHAT IS PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY?
Neuropathy is defined as a nerve that is not functioning properly. When a peripheral nerve is not functioning properly, it adversely impacts the muscles that it innervates. This can result in shortening of the muscles, which subsequently causes mechanical pain as the shortened muscles pull on tendons and joints. The most crucial shortening occurs in the deep back muscles, where shortening can result in disc compression and facet joint irritation.
WHAT IS IMS TREATMENT?
IMS relies heavily on a thorough examination of the patient by a competent practitioner, trained to recognize the signs of peripheral neuropathy. Small needles are placed directly into the muscle. Due to the small size of the needle, the typical sharp pinching pain associated with Doctors’ or Dentists’ needles is not usually present. Penetration of a normal muscle is painless; however, a shortened muscle is supersensitive and will therefore respond to the needle by “grasping” the needle. Patients describe this sensation as a deep cramping. The stimulus of the muscle via penetration and subsequent “grasping” has three distinct results.
1.A reflex is produced within the muscle via a stretch receptor that results in a reflex relaxation of the muscle.
2.The needle causes a small injury in the muscle that initiates the natural healing process.
3.The treatment creates an electrical potential in the muscle to restore normal nerve function.
DOES IMS WORK?
When competently performed, IMS has a remarkable success rate. Extensive medical research has validated the effectiveness of this treatment. If you’re further interested in this topic, current IMS research shows it here: http://www.istop.org/research.html.
Therapists at Polyclinic Rehabilitation Institute have over 20 years of combined experience performing IMS treatments and have a high success rate in resolving many issues in less than 8-treatments. IMS treatments can be scheduled by contacting our office.
Phone: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

DOES MY INSURANCE COVER IMS?
Most likely. IMS is implemented as a part of a complete physiotherapy treatment program at PRI. PRI makes accessing your benefits in your private health care plan easy by offering DIRECT BILLING SERVICES. Simply bring your health care plan card to your first visit and our staff will determine if your plan is eligible for direct billing services.
We look forward to helping you get rid of your pain and move on to the road of health and well-being.