(Excerpted from Dr. Norton’s soon to be published book: Where Does It Hurt? Doctor Norton’s Surprising Stories and Transforming Insights for Releasing Pain and Restoring Whole Body Health)

Breathing a Deeper Sigh of Relief

In the United States asthma is now epidemic. 20 million Americans have asthma and 9 million are under eighteen according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Its’ overall prevalence increased 75% from 1980-1994 and a staggering 160% in children under five. This once rare disease causes more time to be lost from school than any other pediatric condition.

We spend $11.5 billion annually on direct health care costs for asthma and deaths have reached 5,000 a year.

More than 70% of people with asthma also suffer from allergies.

Roger was one of those people when he entered my office in September of 2005. He was looking for some help with his neck and right shoulder pain after 4-5 years of suffering and also for the low back condition that had been a problem for at least a decade. Roger was in need of some solutions and came in at the encouragement of his wife who was thrilled with her progress under my care.

However, Roger had no idea that chiropractic spinal adjustments could also make a positive impact on another health condition that had diminished his vital capacity. He had struggled with allergies his entire life that had worsened when he moved to Central California. They continued to worsen until in 1998, when his breathing had become quite difficult, he was ultimately diagnosed with asthma.

Roger was provided with a variety of medications including steroid inhalers, which did reduce some of his symptoms but also caused him to be sick more often. Eventually, he wearied of the side effects and began seeking a true solution rather than merely managing his symptoms. His condition began to improve with the termination of steroids and the initiation of allergy shots.

A serious broadside car accident in 1994 sufficient to flip his vehicle left Roger with neck damage he wasn’t aware of. Even though only at the young age of 42, the x-rays I took of his neck revealed severe disc and joint decay to the point of near fusion.

The computer scans of his nervous system function demonstrated both a long term pattern of motion restriction and autonomic (organ regulating) disturbance in the neck and upper back.

Both of these areas can influence respiratory function.

Roger began dramatically improving in every symptomatic area within the first three weeks declaring he was already 70% better overall. His back and neck/shoulder pain were nearly gone. Over the next weeks he was able to move and exercise better than he ever had in his life. The follow-up computerized functional assessments we conducted showed excellent progress.

One day during this time frame Roger came in and said that he had been medically re-examined and had some amazing news to share about his breathing measurements. He was told that his vital capacity and forced expiratory volume were the best ever and further that the outcomes were so good that the doctors retracted the diagnosis.

Roger no longer had asthma!

(Join us next month for the conclusion as we explore research demonstrating the incredible value of chiropractic for improving respiratory function.)

Visit Our Website and the "Ask Dr. Norton" Health Forum!

Visit Dr. Norton's web site. The Norton Chiropractic Wellness Center web site is packed with a vast amount of news, tips, and health information. Also check out and interact with our new Ask Dr. Norton Chiropractic Health Forum. If you are experiencing pain, or just want more information on your health or how we do business, please stop by!

News & Events

1. During the week of March 12-15, Norton Chiropractic Wellness Center will conduct another C.O.W. (Chiropractic Opportunity Week). This is a very special time because all people new to our office or who have not been present for at least 6 months will receive multiple benefits as follows:

   The consultation, full examination (including the unique computerized nervous system stress assessment), any needed x-rays, and the doctor's report of findings cost only $30 and there is no obligation to initiate care! This is up to a $240 value and is only offered 3 times each year.

   Please call 559-490-9550 ASAP for the best times and share this with anybody you know who may suffer with pain or illness of any kind. We must hear from you by March 15th to be included! If you would like to learn more about us and our work first, then please go to: www.DrMatthewNorton.com for everything you could ever want to know.

2. Please join Daniel Blodgett, M.D. and Matthew Norton, D.C. for an encore presentation of their wildly popular program entitled “What Is My Ongoing Pain Telling Me?” on Wednesday, February 21st  from 7-9 PM at Go Natural Wellness Center located at 5091 N. Fresno St. (northwest corner of Shaw and Fresno Streets).

   Come to better understand chronic pain and learn more about the many options available to reduce or eliminate it. Dr. Blodgett will be demonstrating a magnetic roller, acupuncture treatment, and an alpha stimulator. Dr. Norton will demonstrate his computerized nervous system stress diagnostic equipment as well as his specialized spinal adjusting technique and Integrator instrument.

   Invite your friends, family, and co-workers and then call either Norton Chiropractic Wellness Center at 559-490-9550 or Go Natural at 559-227-3828 to reserve limited seating or for more information. Healthy snacks/refreshments will be provided.

3. Come check out the 2nd Annual Healthy Living Fair presented by Tree Fresno on Sunday, March 11th from 8-5 in the Tower District in partnership with Fresno City College.

   The event is centered around Tree Fresno’s 11th annual “Run Through the Trees” and the 5th annual Central Valley Classics International Bike Race.

   You can connect to healthy solutions for your life with over 60 booths focusing on environmental issues as well as health, wellness, and fitness opportunities. There will also be a Kids Activity Center with face painting, balloons, a bounce house, etc.

   Stop by and visit our Usana Health Sciences booth and enter our drawing for special prizes. You can learn more about why athletes TRUST USANA Nutritionals.  The pharmaceutical-grade USANA Essentials have been ranked through 3rd party research to be “The Best in North America”. 

   Come and sample the low-glycemic shakes and bars that help set you free from carbohydrate cravings and excess weight, but also give athletes great protein and energy to perform.  To learn more now go to www.ExpandYourTerritory.com.

   Call 559-221-5556 or visit www.treefresno.org for more information. We’ll see you out there!

Visit our Center!

Norton Chiropractic Wellness Center (View Map) at 5670 N. Fresno St. Ste. 102 in Fresno, Calif. Call us at (559) 490-9550 or contact us here.

If you are in the California Central Valley call Norton Chiropractic Wellness Center at 559-490-9550 or visit us online at www.DrMatthewNorton.com for a virtual tour and to schedule an appointment to see if we can help you.

You will also appreciate the valuable tools on the Learning Resources page of the website if you are not in our area!

Healing Hints

1. Asthma can steal your quality of life! If you or someone you care about suffers from this condition or some other respiratory challenge, then first of all know that there is hope for a healing recovery and that you don’t have to be a helpless victim.
   
   
2. Unlike scurvy which is due to a severe Vitamin C deficiency, asthma is not due to an insufficient amount of steroid inhaler. There is something else wrong even though medication may control your symptoms. It is important to investigate the underlying cause and a true corrective solution as much as possible.
   
   
3. Living in an area with poor air quality or other environmental exposures can be an irritating stressor provoking your breathing problem. However, not everyone where you live or work has respiratory difficulty. There is “something” interfering with your body’s ability to flexibly adapt to the challenging world in which you live.
   
   
4. As with my patient Roger, that interfering “something” could be some very specific spinal misalignments in your neck and/or upper back that are disturbing the nervous system communication to your lungs. Your nervous system directs the function of every organ and system in your body!
   
   
5. If you or someone in your life is tired of suffering with this or another health compromising condition, then please call us at 559-490-9550 to schedule a special $30 all-inclusive evaluation appointment during the week of March 12-15 to find out if your spine and nervous system may be the underlying cause weakening your healing energy and vitality. If you cannot get to our Central California location, then contact us about a possible referral in your area. Also go to www.DrMatthewNorton.com for much more information.

   Next month we will discuss some of the research clarifying the value of this approach.

About Dr. Norton

Dr. Norton unites his passion for learning, teaching, and healing with a compassion for those who are struggling with pain and illness or not performing at their peak. He brings to his work a high level of academic achievement and cutting-edge bodymind research. However, he also brings a deeply caring heart transformed by difficult personal life experiences. Read more.