What is PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)?

What is PRP?

PRP stands for platelet rich plasma. This therapy falls under the umbrella of regenerative medicine. The body is designed to get better on it’s own, and entirely capable of repairing itself. Instead of undergoing surgery which can include severe risks, many people are looking into a less invasive and more natural way for the body to heal. When a patient receives a Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) treatment, our Doctors use your own blood and process it to separate the platelets and growth factors (which specifically promote healing), and place them into the area of injury.

How does PRP work?

Let’s say you get a cut on your finger, the platelets find that area and form a clot. The platelets carry cytokines, alpha granules and growth factors. When these form, they send signals in the area and also up and down regulate gene expression to get your body to heal. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) attempts to recreate this phenomenon by localizing these growth factors and cytokines in the area of injury.

The healing process of untreated injuries:

Often times people will experience a minor (sometimes severe) injury and leave it untreated. An example could be a tear in a tendon in your shoulder, knee, elbow or other joint. Initially this injury will cause lots of inflammation. As time goes on and the inflammation goes away, the tendon has tried to heal itself but the collagen has formed in an abnormal pattern. This attempt of healing the injury without help can cause the long term pain that many people experience.

When patients use platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment, it aids the body and injury to properly heal. This can prevent the chronic pain and restore functionality of the injured area.

Can steroid injections do more harm than good?

Many physical medicine doctors have been using steroid injections to treat joint pain for years. Over time steroids are likely not good for long term use. In 2017 JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association) looked at patients with knee arthritis who consistently received steroid injections in their knee. The patients who were consistently receiving knee steroid injections, had significantly less cartilage volume than the study group who was only receiving saline. The cartilage in your knee provides shock absorption/cushion between your bones and also provides smooth movement when you are walking, running, etc. A loss in this cartilage will result in knee pain, inflammation and decreased function. Additional risks of using steroid injections for knee pain long term, could be a hormone dysfunction, high blood sugar and decreased bone density.

How do I know if PRP is right for me?

If you’re tired of being slowed down or in pain due to an injury, come in for a free consultation as soon as possible! Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) treatment can be used to treat torn tendons, tendinitis, muscle injuries, pain from arthritis and various types of joint pain. If you have had an injury and are experiencing pain, inflammation, decreased functional ability, then you may want to consider Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) treatment. At Aaaah Wellness in Mesa, Arizona our team can help you go over your regenerative medicine options and see what may be the best fit for you.

Detoxification & Weight Loss

We all want to start a new year with fresh ideas and ways to rejuvenate our bodies and minds.  Though many people do not make changes past the second week of the new year, here are some easy ways to add detoxification strategies to your daily life.

Reasons why you may want to do a detox? Millions of us suffer from annoying little symptoms, some of which can be indications of serious problems.

•  Achy joints or muscles 
• Brain fog
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Allergies
• Gas
• Autoimmune diseases
• Migraines
• Asthma
• Acne
• Irritable bowel
• Acid reflux
• Arthritis

Three areas of your body to consider with detoxing:

1. Gut

Our guts are a complex ecosystem that has as many as 500 bacterial species live and thrive.  During digestion, they help make important vitamins, send signals to the immune system to help regulate it, and even make peptides that support healthy mood and cognition. Having the correct forms of bacteria are a critical part of us and essential to our health. We have more bacteria in and on us than we do cells. 

Our gut flora, when balanced help prevent harmful bacteria from rapidly growing.  However when our gut bacteria is out of balance, harmful bacteria can take over which can affect our digestive, urinary, immune, nervous and most other systems of our bodies. They release ‘endotoxin’, which can increase intestinal permeability, thus causing leaky gut. 

Endotoxin leads to inflammation, and inflammation increases oxidative stress, which depletes our most potent internal antioxidant, glutathione. Without sufficient glutathione, toxins are not efficiently neutralized and transported out of cells. Endotoxin, and the cascade of inflammatory chemicals it triggers, also inhibits important liver enzymes that detoxify harmful compounds. 

A next generation type of bacteria named Akkermansia Muciniphila that is found in the intestine has many health benefits such as weight loss, improved insulin sensitivity, better glucose metabolism, reduced cholesterol and many others.  This bacteria is low in many people as they age and the more you have the better your chances of losing weight. We now have ways of testing to see if this and many other types of bacteria are low and the good news is we have nutritional approaches to increasing this healthy bacteria which means you have better chances of losing weight and keeping it off.

2. Liver

Bile has been called liquid gold—because it is so important to many functions in the body. Bile helps us digest fat by emulsifying it. Bile acids are antibacterial. Bile helps regulate inflammation, thyroid hormone, and cholesterol. Bile salts promote normal gastrointestinal movement. Bile also helps move toxins out of the liver and into the gut, where they can be safely excreted.  When we do not have enough bile our liver can not detoxify our bodies well and we can get a detox reaction. This may be where you feel sicker, more tired, with increased headaches and a slew of other symptoms. 

3. Glutathione (found in the cells)

Nicknamed the “mother” of all antioxidants, a master detoxifier, it is the master defense against toxins. The glutathione supersystem also includes specialized enzymes and proteins that that assist glutathione in its universal mission to bind toxins of all kinds. These enzymes and transport proteins move toxins that are bound to glutathione from the blood into the liver, GI tract and kidneys for safe excretion. Unfortunately, glutathione can become chronically depleted in settings of high toxicity. Glutathione support is thus a cornerstone of detoxification protocols.

Glutathione deficiency is present in most illnesses—from autoimmune diseases to arthritis, asthma, and even Alzheimer’s disease.  Signs your glutathione is low include respiratory issues such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, and excess mucus. The fluid in the lining of your lungs has 140 times more glutathione than your blood. Any chronic lung condition leads to oxidative stress that will deplete glutathione. Chronic inflammation, present in many autoimmune conditions, will deplete glutathione.

Four basic rules to create a good detox diet:

1. Give up drinking alcohol and coffee
2. Drink 40-50% of your body weight in ounces of alkaline water with a pH of 7 or greater.
3. Eat more fermented foods such as sauerkraut, pickles or pickled types of foods.
4. Make 50% of the foods that you eat raw vegetables and fruits

I hope these ideas give you some help with why and how to better do a detox this year.

*If you are interested and want to come to a seminar on detoxification and weight loss.  We are hosting a guest speaker at 12:30 this Wednesday on January 8th*

Patient Appreciation Day 2020

We appreciate YOU!

And to show you how much you mean to us we are giving away a free Zerona fat loss laser session. This gift is valued at $300. Here is some information about why you want to try this. 

Zerona’s Clinically Tested Fat Loss Treatment

The cold laser technology behind the Zerona procedure is both clinically tested and proven effective as a fat loss treatment. The Zerona technique has been clinically researched using multiple double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multi-site studies. The results speak for themselves. Most clients lost an average of 3.72 inches from the circumference of their waist, thighs and hips, while the placebo group only lost about a half inch.

How Zerona Works

The technology employed by the Zerona Z6 laser was initially developed as an adjunct to liposuction procedures to help speed up the recovery process. However, it was found that these cold laser treatments could be used as a stand-alone procedure that promoted the liberation of stored intracellular fat.

When it’s used cosmetically to target fat cells, the Zerona procedure creates an overall body slimming effect that can be used to reduce fat in your: Waist, Chest, Pecs, Back, Neck, Arms, Thighs, Hips, Ankles, and more!

The Zerona Z6 laser uses low-level laser stimulation to disrupt the membrane of fat cells. This disruption induces the formation of a transitory pore that causes the fatty material of the cell to seep out and move into the interstitial space regulated by the lymphatic system. The result is that fat cells within adipose tissue are shrunk instead of being killed, which can be harmful to the integrity of bodily tissue.

Why Clinically Tested Fat Loss Treatments Are Important

If you’re looking to lose fat, there are tons of companies to choose from. They boast of instant results and guarantee to help you lose weight both quickly and safely. However, you’ll find that many of these claims are not only false but downright dangerous. In fact, most other forms of fat loss treatments harm the fat cells, while Zerona is specifically designed to avoid doing so.

Clinical testing ensures that a fat loss procedure is safe and effective. Zerona-Z6 has undergone multiple clinical studies, so clients can have confidence that the treatment works with proven results. Plus, these trials and FDA Market-Clearances confirm that the Zerona procedure is safe.

Thousands of clients have now seen positive results using the clinically tested Zerona laser.

Our special rate is usually $149 per session. However, to help you with your goals for the new year we are offering a special package for New Years Resolutions. Our package will be a punch card for 10 sessions and extremely discounted. Come in for your FREE Fat Loss Laser session. See what this tool can do to help you reach you weight loss goals for the new year. Start off with an extra bang and achieve even greater success than you imagined! 

Reminder that Massage Gift Certificates are Buy $100 get $20 Gift certificate free through 12/27/19.

Family & Holidays

Our Holiday Gift to You – Free Aromatherapy with a Massage during December!

The holidays have arrived, we are spending more time with family and friends, smelling the smells of the season, shopping and eating galore!  We look forward to these times and do a great deal in order to experience the holidays to their fullest. We are excited to spend extra time with family, and to share with them gifts we hope will bring them greater joy and happiness in their lives. However, the holidays have brought with them a bunch of stress. Although we mostly see this stress as good, it still has an effect on our bodies. 

There are many things we can do to help with stress and the impact it has on our bodies. Meditation is an amazing tool. Even simply doing some deep breathing by counting to four on the in breath, then count of two on the out breath can benefit our physical health and relaxation. Many people come to our office during the holidays to experience acupuncture to help alleviate stressful feelings. One of our favorite things is aromatherapy during a massage. Let’s face it, massage alone is great at reducing stress. However, the benefits of aromatherapy when coupled with a relaxing massage can do a great deal to help minimize the stress of the holidays.

Aromatherapy is the practice of inhaling the scent of essential oils to improve your well-being. One theory of how they work is that by stimulating the smell receptors in your nose, they can send messages to your nervous system and those nerves send messages to the rest of the body. They are also thought to have a subtle effect on the body’s chemical and energy systems. Because of this, aromatherapy is often used as a natural remedy to relieve anxiety and stress.

This year, in hopes of helping you find greater peace and happiness through the holidays we have created a few specially themed holiday blended aromas to add to your massage. As a token of appreciation, and our gift to you for the holidays, if you come in and get a massage you can request an aromatherapy scent of one of the items listed below for FREE. If you want to experience any of these extra benefits after the holidays then there is an increased fee. However, to help bring you and your family happiness for the holidays we wanted to share a special gift with you. Contact our office to schedule your amazing aromatherapy massage today.

• Gifts of Christmas (Frankincense) – This amazing oil demonstrates antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal properties. No wonder it was given as a gift at the birth of Jesus.  People used this for its many healing properties. It is believed to reduce feelings of anxiety and to stimulate the immune system. its astringent and cytophylactic qualities help Frankincense oil to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and skin imperfections such as discoloration. It stimulates the growth of new cells, thus when used on cuts it promotes faster healing. We recommend this for help with pain, and just to help relax unless you have something with skin that would benefit from some extra attention.
• Candy Cane (Peppermint) – This oil will help you to remember the joy of childhood when you would suck your candy cane into a point and use it to torture your siblings. This treatment will not cause pain but instead will help with it. It helps with digestion and eases cough which is great during this time of year when people catch colds and flu.  The greatest benefit for this time of year is that it helps with mental fatigue. This will help you to accomplish all of your tasks for the holidays.
• Christmas Tree (Cypress, Spruce & Fir) – The greatest benefits of all of the aromas related to the Christmas tree is for respiratory help. This is very beneficial this time of year with so much exposure to germs and sickness. This helps your respiratory system, coughing spasms, pain, inflammation, and increasing blood flow. You can help yourself from being down and out with the yuck and a box of tissues by using this treatment and it helps your skin!
• Stress Free holiday (Lavender) – One study found that lavender oil aromatherapy calmed the nervous system – lowering blood pressure, heart rate, and skin temperature as well as changing brain waves to a more relaxed state. The scent of lavender stimulates brain pathways including our limbic system, which is connected to our emotional response and memories. Studies using EEG, which measures brain waves, and brain imaging using MRI showed significant changes during lavender aromatherapy consistent with its relaxing effects. After a long day of shopping, wrapping presents and cooking yummy holiday treats this can help calm your mind and help you get a relaxing night’s sleep.

Health Savings Account (HSA) and Deductibles

Greetings from Dr. Abrams and the staff of Aaaah Wellness and our chiropractic office in East Mesa. As it’s coming to the end of the year, and we spend extra time and money on family and friends and we sometimes forget the importance of self care too. We do not invest as much in ourselves, because it is the season of giving. Although, sacrifice for others is good and sometimes necessary, for instance if you have a family member with medical needs that would come before your desire for a new purse, we sometimes need to use the things in our life to help ourselves. So, this year, as we prepare to take care of ourselves better we encourage you to do the same.

Make the most of your money this holiday season and use your Health Savings Account! Each year companies offer employees ways to pay for the medical expenses before they are taxed on that money. Most companies refer to this as a Health Savings Plan. These plans are set up with a yearly budget where you use your full amount or you lose the money that was there. These funds are set up so that you can use them at a medical facility.

What can I spend my HSA on? 

Technically speaking the IRS defines this (Internal Revenue Code Section 213(d). The use of the HSA must be to alleviate or prevent a physical or mental defect or illness, including dental and vision. What this means is that almost everything we have and do here is covered!

• Chiropractic Treatment
• Massage
• Acupuncture
• Nutritional Supplements

We have had patients use them at our Mesa chiropractic clinic for nutritional supplements, massage acupuncture, chiropractic and more. We are offer genetic testing with Dr. Harvey Abrams, DC, LAc after he studied at Stanford University. These services can all be paid for with your health savings account or any medical savings plan you have. If needed we can supply letters that clarify why any of these items are medically necessary.

What if I already met my deductible? 

Often it is hard to meet one’s deductible, but this time of the year many people find that they have met their deductible and that their medical services are covered by their insurance. If you find you are one of these people, take advantage of the opportunity to get your medical services covered with less expense for you! We find that for ourselves we are able to get extra care we would not normally take the time for during the year, but once we have met our deductible we are able to get care we may have put off. You can also use the HSA for anything which your insurance plan may not cover, but is still considered a medical expense!

What if I have more questions? 

The best way to understand your HSA plan is to contact the carrier directly. However, if you want some more information on how you can use your funds at our clinic we have several staff who help patients every day with using their HSA for our services. Come in or give us a call any day Monday through Friday at Aaaaah Wellness in Mesa, Arizona!

Introducing Naturopathic Medicine to Aaaah…Wellness

Introducing our newest doctor to Aaaah…Wellness, Inc.  Dr Neil Morris prior to becoming a Naturopathic Medical Doctor was a nurse working with Banner hospital doing bone marrow biopsies, ICU,  home health care and working in many other capacities when he developed an injury that was not healing with the use of traditional medicine and a friend told him about doing some more natural procedures which at the time he thought would never help him.  He decided to try some procedures in a field of regenerative medicine done by a naturopath which he knew little about. His results were phenomenal. This is when he knew he wanted to study this field and become one of the best in his field.

Regenerative medicine includes procedures such as “STEM CELL THERAPY”, “PRP”, “Perineural”, and Prolotherapy.  Why would you need to have one or more of these types of procedures.

• Stem Cell Therapy – These cells come are injected into a part of the body which can tremendously help repair the body.  They work by regenerating new healthy cells and differentiating into a wide range of specialized cell types. Once injected, stem cells follow inflammatory signals from damaged tissues and have multiple ways of repairing these damaged areas.

• PRP – Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy uses injections of a concentration of a patient’s own platelets to accelerate the healing of injured tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints. In this way, PRP injections use each individual patient’s own healing system to improve musculoskeletal problems.

• PIT – Perineural Injection Therapy (PIT) is a superficial type of injection which helps with nerve pain.  Many people that have neuropathy may have great success with this type of treatment.

• Prolotherapy – Prolotherapy is known as a Non-Surgical Ligament and Tendon Reconstruction and Regenerative Joint Injection. It is a recognized orthopedic procedure that stimulates the body’s healing processes to strengthen and repair injured and painful joints and connective tissue such as cartilage.

We have combined the best parts of each therapy to include chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, physical medicine and naturopathic regenerative medicine to help patients heal from the most complex musculoskeletal conditions and pain problems.

How are Naturopathic Doctors different than Medical Doctors and Osteopaths?

•  Remove Obstacles to Health. Health, the “natural state” of one’s body, is disturbed by obstacles that lead to disease. The first step in returning to health is to remove the entities that disturb health such as: poor diet, digestive disturbances, inappropriate and chronic stress levels, and individual disharmony. Naturopathic doctors construct a healthy regimen based on an individual’s “obstacles to health” to change and improve the terrain in which the disease developed. This allows additional therapeutics to have the most beneficial effects possible.
• Stimulate the Self-Healing Mechanisms. NDs use therapies to stimulate and strengthen the body’s innate self-healing and curative abilities. These therapies include modalities such as clinical nutrition, botanical medicines, constitutional hydrotherapy, homeopathy, and acupuncture.
• Strengthen Weakened Systems. Systems that need repair are addressed at this level of healing. Naturopathic doctors have an arsenal of therapeutics available to enhance specific tissues, organs or systems including: lifestyle interventions, dietary modifications, botanical medicine, orthomolecular therapy (use of substances that occur naturally in the body such as vitamins, amino acids, minerals), and homeopathy.
• Correct Structural Integrity. Physical modalities such as spinal manipulation, massage therapy, and craniosacral therapy are used to improve and maintain skeletal and musculature integrity.
• Use Natural Substances to Restore and Regenerate. Naturopathic medicine’s primary objective is to restore health, not to treat pathology. However, when a specific pathology must be addressed, NDs employ safe, effective, natural substances that do not add toxicity or additionally burden the already distressed body.

Veterans Day 2019

An average of 15% of veterans who served in combat zones have PTSD. Another 10% of veterans have a serious injury from their deployments. Treating these conditions are a matter of giving quality of life back to those who served our country. Aaaah Wellness is proud to help aid our honorable veterans with Acupuncture treatment, a proven way to decrease PTSD and pain.

Did you know that veterans now qualify for 100% covered acupuncture treatments through the Veterans Choice Program?

The Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014, also called the Veterans Choice Act, is a public law that provides funding for veterans so they may seek treatment outside of the VA. The law stipulates you must live 40 miles away from the nearest VA hospital or be unable to get an appointment within 30 days. However, because there are no acupuncturists currently working at the VA everyone who qualifies for medical coverage through the Department of Veterans Affairs automatically qualifies for 100% covered Acupuncture treatments through the Veterans Choice Program.

We will be offering a special for veterans and veteran families for a $27 exam an treatment of acupuncture therapy. Our 88% off normal price will go through November of 2019 and is our Thank You For Your Service special.

Glyphosate – Deadly to Weeds & YOU!

You may have seen the more than 13,000 lawsuits against Bayer who acquired Monsanto, the company that created Roundup. New research states those exposed to Glyphosate raise their risk of cancer by a monumental 41%.

Glyphosate is an herbicide that remains the world’s most well known and common weed killer. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is a widely used and harmful herbicide used on crops and other plants to kill weeds. 

Glyphosate residue can be found in your food supply — on produce, in meat, and in packaged foods. Glyphosate is the world’s most widely produced herbicide and is the primary toxic chemical in Roundup, as well as in many other herbicides. In addition, it is a broad-spectrum herbicide that is used in more than 700 different products from agriculture and forestry to home use. Glyphosate was introduced in the 1970s to kill weeds by targeting the enzymes that produce the amino acids tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine. The enzymes of many bacteria are also susceptible to inhibition by this chemical, thus altering the flora of many animals. 

Following are Side Effects of Roundup

• ADHD
• Alzheimer’s
• Autism
• Birth Defects
• Brain and Breast Cancer
• Celiac Disease
• Chronic Kidney Disease
• Colitis
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Gluten Intolerance
• Heart Disease
• Hypothyroidism
• Infertility
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Liver disease
• Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS)
• Miscarriage
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Obesity
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Reproductive Issues
• Respiratory Illness

Chances are that you have been exposed to Glyphosate, but good news is that you can be tested.

A simple urinary test can help determine how much Glyphosate you have inside you.  Even better we now have natural supplements that can help eliminate this bad chemical from our bodies.  Some people have ignored the warnings around this chemical and now are suffering terrible diseases. Get tested, get the Glyphosate out of your body before it has a chance to further create damage to your cells. 

Call our office today at 480-396-4400 and ask to get tested today.

Sports Massage

A good way to Prevent injury!

As we get deeper into the season of many sports activities, have you considered what you can do to prevent injury?  Massage can be a great option to help prevent injury. Sports massage is a type of massage that can alleviate pain occurring in certain parts of the body that may be caused by too much physical activity.
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Lowering Blood Pressure Without Medications

Over 100 million Americans have high blood pressure, and it causes approximately 1,000 deaths per day. The threat is real. High blood pressure can lead to heart attack, strokes and even kidney failure. Without proper education, most Americans start taking medications before ever trying other options. Even with medications, there are long term risks. Many patients on medications often times see their blood pressure fluctuating from high to regular, which is another sign the medication may not be working properly.
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