October is the official month for Breast Cancer Awareness.  According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer.  Prevention is key to reducing your risk of developing this devastating disease.  Some risk factors, such as family history, can’t be changed, but breast cancer prevention actually starts with healthy habits.  Here are some lifestyle changes that you can take toward breast cancer prevention.

1. Maintain a healthy body weight: weight gain in midlife as well as having a body mass index above 25 have been shown to significantly increase the risk of developing breast cancer.
2. Limit your alcohol consumption: the more alcohol you drink, the greater your risk of developing breast cancer.  Try to limit yourself.
3. Don’t smoke: long-term smoking is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, especially in premenopausal women.
4. Avoid exposure to radiation and environmental pollution: high doses of radiation such as those used for medical imaging have been linked to breast cancer risk, so limit your exposure by having test only when absolutely necessary.  Research also suggests a link between breast cancer and exposure to chemicals found in gasoline fumes, vehicle exhaust and parabens found in some shampoos, lotions, deodorant, and makeup.
5. Exercise regularly: research shows that physical activity can reduce overall breast cancer risk by 10-30 percent!  Even a simple 30-minute walk five days a week can be effective.
6. Keep a healthy diet: a healthy diet can help you maintain a healthy weight, which is a key factor in breast cancer prevention.  Eat a diet high in vegetables and fruits and low in refined sugar and carbohydrates.  Choose lean proteins and whole grains and avoid processed foods while limiting your intake of red meat.   It’s also important to consume an adequate amount of Omega-3 fats.

Prevention is the most powerful weapon you have against breast cancer!  Keeping a positive mental outlook and embracing an overall healthy lifestyle can reduce your risk of breast cancer as well as many other diseases so you can enjoy a long fulfilling life.

If you have any questions or need anything... Call your Elkhorn Chiropractor today! 

You probably visit your dentist’s office once or twice a year. And you know there is a link between gum disease and heart disease.  How come no one says, “Once you go to a dentist, you have to go for the rest of your life?” Well, it's probably because your dentist has shown you the VALUE in a healthy smile, healthy gums, and a healthy heart.

The same holds true for spinal health.  Every cell (all 70-80 trillion of them) need to have proper nerve supply to survive and function properly. When there is "interference" in the spinal system (Subluxation), the cells/organs/tissues at the end of that nerve start to dysfunction, get sick or die. (Think about Christopher Reeve... did he just have neck pain??).  If those nerves are supplying your heart.... dysfunctional heart cells = heart disease. 

More people are walking around (feeling good) with Subluxation than those who don't have "tooth pain" but have poor oral hygiene.  Would you trust your Dentist if s/he said, "only brush and floss when your teeth/gums hurt?".  You'd look at him/her cross-eyed!  

The fact is your spine requires more maintenance than our skin, ears, teeth, and gums. Just think of what you put your spine through each day... A stress-filled job, poorly designed chairs, repetitive motions, a lack of exercise, a sagging mattress and countless “micro-traumas” that accumulate over time.  Your spine, and the nervous system it protects, is being constantly assaulted by the way we live our busy lives. And while a way to literally “floss your spine” will never be invented, a visit to our Elkhorn office for regular chiropractic care is even better.  If it’s been awhile since your last visit or you are new to chiropractic, give us a call.  Let’s catch those little problems (subluxation) before they become serious (chronic illness).  We will help you keep your nervous system in optimum condition; at least the part of your spine (and the organs it supplies) you want to keep!

Chad Schleiger, D.C.
Elkhorn's pediatric and wellness chiropractor
262.215.2292 or TWPChiro@gmail.com

The Results Are In! 

Perception: 68.7% of patients chose chiropractic care as their first choice for musculoskeletal complaints and 21.2% went in for general health and well-being.

Demographics: While 67.1% of survey takers were female patients of chiropractic care mostly between the ages of 45-65, both men and women frequent chiropractors for their health.

Satisfaction: So far only a small portion of the population in Australia sees a chiropractor, yet most survey takers would receive chiropractic care again as 97.5% were satisfied with their service.

Although 68.7% of patients chose chiropractic care as their first choice for muscle and joint aches, they usually discover chiropractic LAST for help with chronic disease? Chiropractic as a profession has ridiculed, called "quacks" and even been taken to court for claiming to help such cases of chronic disease. The main argument on the other side is, "the reason the patient was able to get such great results with chiropractic was because it was ALL IN THEIR HEAD". 

So the argument is; this same patient who chose medicine FIRST (obviously having more faith in medicine than non-allopathic approaches), didn't get the results they were looking for, left the model of care and then chose chiropractic (obviously having less faith in this model since it wasn't their first choice) and GOT RESULTS?!? 

The same goes for chiropractors who adjust babies and animals... How do these two populations get measurable and reproducible results if it's based on "belief level"? 

Chiropractic is SCIENCE. We explain it every Tuesday at 7pm and Saturday at Noon.  Just RSVP and we'll save you a seat! 

Chad Schleiger, D.C.
Elkhorn's pediatric and wellness chiropractor
262.215.2292 or TWPChiro@gmail.com

After calls like this one above, it was time to get back to the way things were meant to be.

Right now, many people are using medications in order to keep their bodies going during a crisis situation. And while your body keeps going, these drugs don’t allow your body to function anywhere near as well as it was designed to, and the end product is nowhere near as meaningful or fun as it could/should be. It’s time to get back to the way things were meant to be.

Chiropractic care helps your whole spine function optimally, so that your whole nerve system can function optimally. And when your whole nerve system functions optimally, your whole body and your whole mind can function optimally. AND, when your whole body and mind function optimally, your WHOLE LIFE is better, and you legitimately win, every time.

If you're tired of bad calls and bad refs, Call Us! 

Chad Schleiger, D.C.
Elkhorn's pediatric and wellness chiropractor
TWPChiro@gmail.com or 262.215.2292

Elkhorn Chiropractors help with neck pain, low back pain, headaches, muscle aches and pains and much more... 

How well do you know your neck? Your neck is a delicate, mobile, protective structure that holds your head up and protects your brain stem and spinal cord. Many take it for granted....until it is injured. 

It may seem simple when looking from the outside, but inside it is a complex structure that is vital for health. 

Let’s start with your nervous system: 
Your brain extends down through your skull and becomes your spinal cord in upper part of your neck. The nerves control and coordinate the function of every cell, tissue and organ of your body. They control all your vital organs including your heart, lungs, liver, stomach and kidneys. When you swallow, clear your throat, or take a deep breath these actions are controlled by the nerves. 

All of the muscles that turn your head are also controlled by nerves. When you look to the right or the left while driving your car or when you answer yes or no to a question, be thankful for these nerves. 

There are 7 bones that make up your neck - also known as your cervical spine. When you are a baby and you begin to raise your head to look around, your neck begins to develop its cervical curve which becomes the normal spinal alignment as you age. This alignment ensures proper movement of your neck, good nerve supply, and normal function. 

Unfortunately, your neck can become injured from the birth process,slips and falls, accidents, or other types of stress other than physical stressors. Chemical and Mental/Emotional stress can do the same thing to your spine as a bad fall.  Have you ever had a close relative die and felt the tension build up in your shoulders which later manifested into a headache?  How much muscles tension between the shoulder blades to smokers have? This tension in the muscles due to stress, can lead to the joints of your spine becoming misaligned and causing stress on the adjacent nerves or causing stress in the nervous system. This is known as a vertebral subluxation.

Because there is so much affected and controlled by the neck, these subluxations can cause health problems such as neck, shoulder and arm pain, headaches, allergies, attention deficit and so much more. The list of conditions that can be caused by subluxations is long. 

Rather than masking your symptoms with over the counter or prescription medication such as muscle relaxers or pain relievers, which can have severe side effects, it is better to get to the cause of the problem and get the alignment of your neck corrected. 

Have you ever noticed an older person whose head was hunched forward? Think about how they had difficulty turning and moving? This is what you see when you look at them but what you do not see is the impact this neck dysfunction is having on their health and quality life because of the interference to the nervous system. Do you ever wonder why smokers have poor mid-thoracic posture? Subluxation.  Have you ever wondered why people with a ton of mental stress have issues with forward head carriage and headaches? Subluxation. Have you ever wondered why people that bend, twist and sit for a living have problems with their low back constantly? Subluxation.  

Isn’t it time you stop taking your neck, back joints, spine and nervous system for granted? Make an appointment for yourself and your loved ones today with your Elkhorn Chiropractor!  

What your pediatrician forgot to tell you...Once your child is born, it is not necessary for the hospital to take your baby to the nursery to be bathed and weighed.

Also, while at the hospital, your baby does not   necessarily need:

1. a vitamin K injection.
2. a hepatitis vaccine.
3. eye drops to prevent infection.
4. formula supplementation “just to be sure” in case you can’t produce breast milk.
5. water supplementation if your baby is jaundiced.

Babies who are breastfed are healthier than those who are artificially fed.

Although car seats are critical while your baby is in a car, at all other times your child ought to be held close to your body in a soft carrier rather than being pushed around in a stroller.

It’s healthy and often desirable to sleep with your baby.

Your baby is probably not underweight, no matter what your pediatrician’s growth chart says.

Milk is not an important source of calcium.

Your child’s “misbehavior” may be an indicator of neurologic compromise from some type of trauma (C-section, normal birth process, breech position, in-utero constraint, early childhood falls/slips)


Boys (and girls) who have trouble paying attention should not necessarily be medicated. 

Allergies and asthma can be prevented or helped considerably with methods other than medication.

Eczema flare-ups should not be controlled simply by use of steroid creams.

Ear infections can be prevented and are almost   always the cause of immobility of the upper neck.

Fever need not be controlled with fever-reducing medication. (Let the fever run it’s course - if fever is greater than 104 degrees for longer than 3 days, get a second opinion).

Most childhood illnesses go away on their own, often faster without medication and provide the child with life-long immunity.

No study has ever been done to prove that children who take the recommended vaccines on schedule are healthier than those who don’t. (The evidence actually suggests exactly the opposite of what we’ve been told over the last 2 decades)

“Natural immunity” lasts a life-time, “synthetic immunity” lasts 8 years, maximum.

Your child should get plenty of time in healthy sunshine. 

Call your Elkhorn Pediatric Chiropractor today! 

We all know the old question, "Which came first? The chicken or the egg?"
Just as Adam and Eve preceded their eggs (and hence offspring) so too did the chicken precede it's egg. 

But what does this have anything to do with symptoms or dysfunction?

The answer is simple.  One has to precede the other.  And in this case, and most all other cases, the Dysfunction precedes the symptoms. 

Because our bodies are so adaptable, we often manage in spite of a growing problem that keeps nagging us. We may not yet have obvious symptoms, but our capacity to adapt is diminished.

Then, all it takes is a sneeze, tying our shoes or the stress of a deadline to put us over the edge and symptoms appear.

You might say, “But I didn’t do anything!”

Actually, there were probably subtle signs that something was amiss. We all have a different threshold of “body awareness.” Become more aware of your body. Take note of even small changes in your energy level, sleep habits and elimination. Take action while your body is still whispering, rather than waiting until it’s shouting for help!

Call your Elkhorn Chiropractor today and start the road to prevention and wellness.  Experience what it feels to be fully adaptive through your nervous system! 

The facts you doctor didn't tell you...

You got your blood test results back and you found out your cholesterol level is 300! You panic and listen fearfully to your doctor telling you how “bad” LDL cholesterol is and it needs to be lowered immediately!  “Medication?”, you ask. You were hesitant to ask, since you’ve heard about statin’s side effects on your health like heart and liver problems, memory loss, increase risk of type II diabetes...Maybe you better stop eating the “whole” egg and just eat the egg white? Maybe you better stop eating  saturated fat? ...and then everything will be ok…? Maybe you should consider a cholesterol lowering supplement as well…

The reality is -- this scenario has to STOP!

It shouldn’t be about the doctor, the food industry and the pharmaceutical companies; this is YOUR HEALTH. If cholesterol is about your health, then shouldn’t we understand the role of cholesterol?  I mean, we have it for a reason, right??

Cholesterol numbers tell a different story than the one you’ve probably heard from your doctor. 

The question is: Why do some people have more cholesterol in their blood than others, and why can the same person have different levels of cholesterol at different times of the day?  Why is our level of cholesterol different in different seasons of the year? In the winter it goes up and in the summer it goes down.  Why is it that blood cholesterol goes through the roof in people after any surgery? Why does blood cholesterol go up when we have an infection? Why does it go up after dental treatment? Why does it go up when we are under stress? And why does it become ’normal’ when we are relaxed and ’feel’ well?

The answer to all theses questions is this: cholesterol is a healing agent in the body. 

Cholesterol & Inflammation Connection

Your body secretes more cholesterol as a response to deal with inflammatory issues within your body.  So, cholesterol is not the problem, it is merely the solution your body is using to attempt to heal itself.  Inflammation in the arterial walls is the real danger, and if left unchecked the swelling can eventually shut off blood flow to the heart and brain, which can cause a heart attack or stroke. 

What are the inflammation sources in the body?

When there are high levels of oxidation present in the body, there also tends to be free radical activity in the tissues. LDL oxidizes in the body due to consuming artificial, partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats), vegetable oils, genetically modified food, a diet high in refined sugars, alcohol and tobacco. Damaged cholesterol is founded powdered eggs, powdered milk (added to reduced fat milks to give them body) and in meats and fats that have been heated to high temperatures in frying and other high-temp processes.        Elevated LDL is also caused by long term chemical and heavy metal toxicity, liver toxicity, stress, hypothyroidism, and kidney failure.

“Bad” and “Good” Cholesterol? No such thing!

LDL (low density lipoprotein) is the “carrier” of cholesterol, sending cholesterol “out” to various parts of the body where needed.  HDL (high density) takes cholesterol “back to” the liver.  LDL and HDL are neither “good” nor “bad”, they are just “cholesterol vehicles”.  However, once the pharmaceutical companies realized they could easily produce a drug to lower blood cholesterol (and make huge profits) they simply bought and paid for the “science” to “prove” their theories. This way, the “good and bad” cholesterol scam was born and continuously fed with heavy marketing campaigns over the years. High blood cholesterol levels says nothing about how much cholesterol is in the tissues.  As people begin to heal and correct their metabolic imbalances, the blood cholesterol may go up, because cholesterol is leaving the tissues. Most doctors feel they need to take immediate action to “right” the output when looking at these “snap shot” numbers instead of understanding the cause of why the body is adapting in such a way. It’s not enough to look at high and low numbers of LDL and HDL. The particle size of LDL cholesterol and C-Reactive Protein (found in blood as a response to inflammation) are much better indicators of cardiovascular health. 

What does the particle size of LDL tell us?

A healthy LDL particle is “big and fluffy” - and as a result, it naturally flows through the system and is non-problematic.  However, when the particle size is small and dense it doesn’t flow so smoothly and has a tendency to get stuck in the small gaps in the arteries where nutrition flows. When this happens, like all things that are stagnant, it creates inflammation and the beginnings of atherosclerosis. 

By understanding the role of cholesterol and knowing the INPUT signals we are giving our body (sedentary lifestyle, trauma, exercise, real vs. fake food, metal stress, positive attitude, toxins, etc) that are directly influencing the OUTPUT signals of our body (cholesterol, insulin, cortisol, epinephrine, etc.. To name a few…) then we can feel secure to know that elevated cholesterol levels are not the real issue. Cholesterol is just trying to keep our body in homeostasis or “balance” because of our unhealthy or “imbalanced” lifestyle or the product of cholesterol leaving tissues that have built up over the years.

If you have any health concerns please contact your Elkhorn Chiropractor today and let us guide you! 

It’s unbelievable how much power food has.

Food actually has the ability to cause disease or prevent it.

If we aren’t getting the essential nutrients we need from healthy foods, our bodies will react negatively.  But because everyone has gone through different stressors in life, everyone’s biological make up is a little different.  So what is considered healthy for you might not be healthy for someone else.

For instance, nightshades and citrus fruits are usually considered healthy.  They are whole foods from earth that are packed with nutrients right?

But here’s the thing… if your child has a citrus food allergy or is sensitive to nightshade veggies like potatoes, tomatoes or peppers then it’s definitely not a good idea for them to eat.  The inflammation that happens as a result will eventually lead to health issues -- including ADHD like behaviors.

Every day many of us, including our kids, just deal with those common ailments from food allergies. 

We have things like dry skin, canker sores, nausea, headaches, diarrhea, constipation, eczema, ear infections, seasonal allergies and asthma, and we think it’s just “part of life”.  Even though some of these issues may be normal in our society they are not healthy.  In fact, they are usually just signs that something is not right on the inside. 

Most often, if our issue isn’t caused by an inflammation imbalance from food, it can be a result of yeast overgrowth, unhealthy gut flora, high toxicity levels, nutrient deficiencies or a combination of these.

Most conventional ways of treating these issues is to label the symptoms and treat them with some form of medication.  But this does nothing for the root cause and often does very little for the symptoms.

These days our kids are prescribed drugs when specific nutrients are all they need!  It just so happens, ADHD behaviors mimic the symptoms of some major vitamin, mineral, antioxidant and essential fatty deficiencies.

Could your child be suffering from something so simple?

Here are 5 major nutrient deficiencies commonly found in kids labeled with ADHD.  

1. Magnesium
Magnesium deficiency is one of the most common deficiencies in people with ADHD.

The symptoms mimic symptoms of ADHD.  Things like excessive fidgeting, tantrums, social difficulties, restless, insomnia, irritability, aggressiveness, poor attention span, coordination problems and learning difficulties.

Studies have shown that 95% of children with ADHD tested positive for magnesium deficiency.   Those with lower levels of mineral showed more severe symptoms of hyperactivity.  After supplementing with 200mg of magnesium for 6 months, hyperactivity was significantly reduced.  The behavior of those who didn’t receive magnesium worsened. 

Consider feeding your child more magnesium rich foods like pumpkin/sunflower seeds, cashews and almonds.  

2. B-Complex
A kid’s mental and emotional state are critically dependent on Vitamin B in the diet.

B vitamins, especially B6 and B12, are vital to the development of the nervous system and the production of neurotransmitters in the brain.  They are also responsible for blood sugar regulation.  And we all know the negative effects sugar has on our kiddos…

Symptoms of vitamin B deficiency include forgetfulness, short attention span, irritability, confusion and rage.  The B-complex Vitamins have other very important jobs to do as well  --  including improving the absorption of other nutrients into the body. 

Consider feeding your child more B rich foods like fish, beans, spinach, asparagus, broccoli and bell peppers. 

Sometimes we’re so quick to offer a PB&J, chicken nuggets or a hot dog because they are socially accepted as “kid-friendly” or convenient foods, and by doing so we never give our kids the chance to fully develop and express their full potential. 

3. Essential Fatty Acids
Almost all of us are deficient in Omega 3’s and we don’t have the proper ratio of Omega 3-6-9’s.  This imbalance leads to all sorts of health issues. 

Plus, conversion of essential fatty acids into DHA, AA and EPA can be inhibited by certain foods like wheat and diary.  The conversion is also blocked by other vitamin and mineral deficiencies like B, C, Zinc and Magnesium. 

Research from Perdue University discovered that kids with ADHD are not getting an adequate amount of nutrients for essential fatty acid conversion and as a result have low levels of EPA, DHA and AA.  Omega-3 supplementation helped reduce ADHD symptoms. 

4. Zinc
Low zinc levels are associated with lowered immunity, poor heavy metal detoxification and ADHD. Maybe your child eats plenty of zinc rich foods like spinach, seafood, nuts and beans but sometimes nutrients get wiped out by other things… Especially processed foods, white breads, refined sugar and medications like antibiotics.

Antibiotics not only wipe out the beneficial bacteria in out gut (natural flora) buy they also impair the absorption of nutrients.  We have noticed a large percentage of kids with the label ADHD have been on doses of antibiotics in their early years leading to damage to the natural flora in their gut and malabsorption of nutrients. 

Zinc imbalances can interfere with proper neurotransmitter function in the brain.  Especially the pathways in the brain that affect behavior.  Adding zinc to diets of teenagers has been shown to improve memory and attention span.

5. Vitamin D
The vitamin D council estimates that 9 out of 10 people are deficient in vitamin D.  It’s a very important nutrient that we rarely can get from food.

If we didn’t live in the northern US states then I wouldn’t tell you this is an important vitamin (because you’d most likely get enough from the sun) but we live in Wisconsin and for the majority of the year, we ARE deficient!

Vitamin D helps boost the antioxidants responsible for good brain health.  Since “vitamin D” technically isn’t a vitamin at all, rather a hormone, when we become vitamin D-ficient we are causing our body to be in a pathophysiological state of stress (not good for healing both the body and the brain). 

Vitamin D helps produce dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain, which is what many ADHD meds aim to do (unnaturally, I might add).

Vitamin D helps produce enzymes in charge of making brain chemicals necessary for focus.  Especially long periods of time.