My name is Dr. Daniel Rofé. I graduated from Touro College in 2010 with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Nutrition is a strong secondary passion of mine and I am eager to share my knowledge with you. The ensuing information is not to be taken as medical advice, they are my personal beliefs based on hours of research and a great deal of experimentation.

There is much debate these days about what the optimal diet is, this debate is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. The key is to do your own research and experiment which foods work best for you. This includes the foods that leave you feeling both satiated and keep you lean. Different foods work for different people. I believe in metabolic typing. Metabolic typing is the idea that every person is unique and requires a different percentage of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to fuel their body. Some people have great results with full fat dairy; others do not and experience weight gain. It is up to you to listen to your body and consume the foods that keep you lean and energized. Below is a list of foods I consider to make up the optimal diet. Approximately 80% of my diet comes from this list. When I eat out, I enjoy myself. I order my favorite foods and desserts. But when grocery shopping, I try to load up my cart with as many of the foods on this list as possible. Remember, listen to your body, and you will eventually find the right balance of foods for your own unique needs.

Protein (great websites for all organic meat is grasslandbeef.com or eatwild.com)

Free Range Organic Chicken

Wild Caught Fish

Grass Fed Organic beef

Grass Fed Organic Bison

Free Range Turkey

Free Range Eggs (with the yolks, up to 14 yolks a week is fine)

Caution: low quality processed meats

Fats (for all oils I try to get extra virgin)

Avocado

Coconut oil – incredible for your body in many ways, eat it everyday, great to cook with

Olive oil – but don’t cook with it, may have carcinogenic properties at high heats, ideal for salads

Almond oil – great for cooking

Peanut oil

Raw nuts

Olives

Caution: Safflower oil, cotton seed oil, canola oil, vegetable oil

Carbs

Eli’s Bread

Ezekial Bread

Ezekial cereal

Ezekial sprouted whole grain pasta

Whole grain granola (feed, bear naked are good brands but if you could get fresh granola from a farmers market that would be ideal)

All Organic fruit

All vegetables-best are green (broccoli, spinach)

100 % whole wheat pasta

Brown rice

Quinoa

Dairy – I prefer All Raw if possible (I go to realmilk.com for local listings to find raw milk and other raw dairy)

Raw cheese – Organic Valley Raw cheese can be found in many supermarkets

Raw cottage cheese

Raw cream cheese

Raw yogurt – if I can’t get raw then I will buy “fage” or “chabani” full fat yogurt

Raw whole milk

Caution: conventional non-organic dairy is loaded with hormones and antibiotics

Good snack: Lara Bars

            Perhaps thebest way to start talking about scoliosis hard bracing, how it works and its goals,is first to briefly describe normal spinal anatomy so that we can get a betterunderstanding of why we need to stop scoliosis progression.

            Thespine  is made up of 33 individual bonyvertebrate. The spine serves some major functions in our body. Of these majorfunctions two very important ones come to mind: the spine houses the spinalcord (which is basically an extension of our brain, coordinates every functionof our body on a daily basis), and the spine is the structural support thatallows us to stand upright. The healthy spine is very strong, flexible, andallows movements in several planes while still protecting the spinal cord.Bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles all contribute to the strength of thespine. However, any one of these structures can be affected by injury, strain,or disease and can end up causing us pain.

            When we areborn and start crawling we start to develop curves in our back, and again whenwe start walking we must adapt again as our spine develop secondary curves. Thespine can often be thought of as a spring that allows us to absorb shock,balance, and allows us to use a large range of motion while maintaining ourbalance. These curves should be seen when looking at the spine from the side, alateral point of view. That being said, the spine should be perfectly straightwhen we look at it directly from the front or the back.

            Whenscoliosis develops the spine starts to deviate laterally away from mid-line. Sowhen looking at the spine from the back it will not be straight we will startsee the development of usually a C or a S-shaped curve. This helps us tounderstand one dimension of the spine, however scoliosis is a multidimensionalspinal deformity. Often one of the major problems with scoliosis is not justthe lateral curvature that we see on an x-ray, but it is the effect of thetwisting of the spine that causes an increase or decrease in the naturalcurvatures we are supposed to have in our spine. I feel the simplest way todescribe this is to imagine taking a rubber band and twisting it. What happens?The rubber band will twist to a certain point and then it will eventually kink.If you look at it this way, the twisting is the rotation of the bones of ourspine and the kink is the lateral scoliosis curvature that shows up on anx-ray.

            Thisseemingly simple theory of how the twisting of the spine can lead to lateraldeviation of the spine, or what we call scoliosis was not common knowledgedecades ago. This is why when you start reading about the different types ofbraces that are used to slow progression of scoliosis you will notice that mostonly work in one dimension of the spine. Hence, only attempting to affect partof the problem.

            Back withthe invention of hard braces such as: the Milwaukee brace, the Boston brace,the Charleston brace, and  the Chenaeubrace: doctors were attempting to just slow or stop progression of thescoliosis until the patient was done growing. The original thought was sincescoliosis progressed most rapidly during the teen years bracing could keep acurve from progressing to the point of disability. Then the patient would stopgrowing, and they had successfully "warded off" scoliosis progression.

            Each one ofthese hard braces works in a slightly different manner and often work ondifferent spinal curvatures. The Boston brace is the most commonly used bracein United States. This brace is often used for lumbar scoliosis, thoracicscoliosis, or thoracolumbar scoliosis. The brace extends from below the breastto the beginning of the pelvic area in front and from just below the scapula tothe middle of the buttocks in the back. It is designed to push the abdomen into flatten the posterior lumbar contour. It attempts to correct by pushingsmall pads against the ribs. These same pads are often used to try to reducerotation as well. The strategically placed pads provide pressure on the curveand usually on the opposite side of the pad there is a cut out, or area ofrelief. This brace is typically worn about 20 to 23 hours per day.

            TheCharleston bending brace, a.k.a. sleeping brace is worn only at night duringsleep. This brace is molded to conform to the patient's body while the patientis bent towards the convexity of the curve. In essence it attempts toover-correct the curve for the eight hours it is worn. These are often used forsingle curve scoliosis.

            TheMilwaukee brace was probably the first modern brace designed specifically forthe treatment of scoliosis. The design of this brace changed for nearly 3decades however today it is still the design that we used in 1975. This is theonly one of these for braces listed here that are typically used for highthoracic curves. The Milwaukee brace can be looked at as a combination of aBoston type of brace combined with metal rods attached in front and back of theneck with a padded ring encircling the neck, to attempt to provide stabilizationto the upper thoracic and cervical region during scoliosis progression. Thisbrace is typically worn about 20 to 23 hours per day.

            The Chenaeubrace is a hard brace that like the Boston brace attempts to be fitted to thepatient to apply pressure to specific areas of the ribs in order to put thespine in a better position. This brace however attempts to work with thethoracic curve a little bit higher by adding support to raise one shoulderhigher than the other (typically in scoliosis one shoulder is dropped lowerthan the other, this is attempting to affect that). This brace is typicallyworn about 20 to 23 hours per day.

            These aretypically the most common of these hard, or rigid, braces that are seen today.Do these braces actually decrease the progression of scoliosis? It is hard tolook at past or current research and determine if these hard braces actuallystopped progression. The problem with a lot of these studies is that a lot ofthem show only a percentage of patients who have not progressed much whilewearing a brace, however how many of these patients would not have progressedanyway even if they weren't wearing a brace? Most current research on scoliosisbracing shows such an insignificant gain from wearing a hard brace, that it hardlyseems worth it to put a child through the psychological and emotional anxietythat comes with wearing one for up to 23 hours a day.  Also out of all these hard brace choices onlyone, the Cheneau, even takes more than one dimension into account, and the statisticalresearch on this brace is still very limited.

            Lack ofstudies showing significant improvement, research that only shows insignificantdecrease in progression, and the thousands of stories that are out there aboutwhat a traumatic experience hard bracing is for a child all make us questionwhether hard bracing should even be a choice. Even a bigger deal, we are nowstarting to question the cause of idiopathic adolescent scoliosis. A focusgroup called SOSORT (Society of Scoliosis Orthopaedic and RehabilitationTreatment), which is a collection of scientists, physical medicine andrehabilitation doctors, spinal surgeons, physiotherapists, psychologists, CPOsand patients who are all aimed at the compilation of scoliosis research andtreatment quoted this in their most recent textbook,  "The origins of Adolescent IdiopathicScoliosis (AIS) is most likely linked to a genetic defect of the centralcontrol or processing by the central nervous system (Pons and hind brain) thataffects the growing spine." If this is their most recent consensus, thatscoliosis really is neurological based, then it brings to mind one questionabout hard bracing: Is a hard piece of plastic going to help rewire the brainand our Central Nervous System so that scoliosis won't progress? 

            In mypersonal opinion this seems like a no-brainer, research needs to go into thosemethods that are successfully decreasing and stabilizing scoliotic curvesthrough neurological training, instead going into braces that have been aroundfor 40 years with insignificant success. As new studies show that neurologicaltreatment, and neuromuscular reeducation of muscles is effective treatment forscoliosis we need to step away from the dogmatic thinking that a hard piece ofplastic is going to affect a neurological disorder.

PRESS RELEASE

April 18, 2011

June is National Scoliosis Awareness Month; New York City Clinic to offer free scoliosis screenings by appointment

(New York City, New York)  June is National Scoliosis Awareness Month.  Dr. Aatif Siddiqui of Esprit Wellness at 2 West 45^th Street, Suite 1708 in New York City is offering free scoliosis screenings during office hours by appointment in the month of June.  A free scoliosis screening consists of a spinal examination.   Anyone wanting to have a free screening for scoliosis can call (212) 354-2020 for an appointment.  Adults and children accompanied by parents are welcome.

Scoliosis affects about 5 percent of the population and occurs more often in women than men.  Scoliosis occurs when the spine of the back forms a C or an S shaped curve.  Nine out of ten cases of scoliosis have an unknown cause.   Some of the symptoms of scoliosis are back pain, hip pain, leg pain, trouble maintaining posture (the spine supports the back), and in severe cases difficult breathing (the unusual curve of the scoliotic spine affects the way the lungs inflate).  Scoliosis is often first diagnosed when a patient is between the ages of 10 and 18 years.

A few signs that parents can look for that their child or teenager might have scoliosis are

-whole body leans to one side

-uneven shoulders

-one hip sticks up higher than the other (parents see that one leg is shorter than the other)

-uneven rib cage

-rib sticks out on one side of the spine

For many years, the treatment of scoliosis involved watching and waiting, rigid back bracing for 18 to 23 hours a day for years, and surgery depending on the degree of curve in the spine.  A new treatment for scoliosis, called CLEAR scoliosis therapy is now available in New York City at Esprit Wellness with Dr. Siddiqui.  CLEAR scoliosis therapy can begin at any stage of spinal curve. The new treatment was developed by the CLEAR Institute, a non-profit group from Minnesota.  Dr. Siddiqui is one of eleven health care providers within the U.S. with the CLEAR Institute's most prestigious certification, scoliosis intensive care certified.  Dr. Siddiqui is the only health care provider in New York state with intensive are certification in scoliosis treatment from the CLEAR Institute.

CLEAR scoliosis therapy is based on the principles of Mix, Fix, and Set to rehabilitate the spine and move the spinal curvature in a straighter position.  The protocol works this way

Mix:  The scoliotic spine has tight muscles, tendons, and ligaments that have evolved over time with scoliosis.  The first step in the correction is to loosen them up, this is called mix.  Spinal flexibility is one of the key factors in scoliosis reduction.  Specialized equipment including the use of vibrational frequencies loosens and makes soft tissue more flexible is used to accomplish the mix.

Fix:  Once the supporting spinal structures are loosened the fix can begin.  Precise spinal adjustments are individualized to each patient based on their x-rays.  The spinal adjusting technique is based off years of clinical research by hundreds of doctors.

Set:  This step re-educates the body's supporting muscles to hold and maintain the newly adjusted spine.  This is accomplished through precise spinal weighting and an exercise program.  The body's weaker areas are strengthened.

A patient's first appointment with Dr. Sid, a name given to him affectionately by his patients, consists of a complete medical history, examination, and x-rays.  The x-rays are interpreted from 41 different measurements and 23 different angles.  "We take full spine x-rays and we sit down and review them with the family.  We take the time to answer any questions the family might have," remarks Dr. Sid.

The treatment plans are unique to each patient based on the results of the x-rays.  New x-rays are taken at specific times through the course of treatment to show the treatment is working.   "We offer a program that spans a four month period which involves three times a week to start and then dropped down to two times per week.  The other option is one or two weeks intensive.  What determines one or two weeks is the severity of the curve.  With intensive treatment the patient pretty much spends the whole day in my office for treatment," said Dr. Sid.

The personal satisfaction is great for patients and Dr. Sid when improvement is shown on x-rays.  "I feel like I am giving the best of what is available out there in the way of an alternative to surgery.  It is my passion that in my life time we will figure out this disease so that no one ends up in surgery," adds Dr. Sid.

Dr. Sid graduated with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Life University in Marietta, Georgia in 1997.  His practice is unique and focuses on spinal and soft tissue rehabilitation from injuries or non-traumatic conditions.  Dr. Sid has had advanced post graduate training and certification in active release technique, Graston technique, CLEAR Institute scoliosis therapy, ETPS, and Cox Flexion Distraction.  He has lectured throughout New York City on topics including scoliosis, active release technique, and the neurological system.  Dr. Sid has practices on the same New York City block for 11 years.  For more information on Dr. Sid's practice, please visit his web site

http://www.scoliosis-treatments.com/ or www.clear-institute.org/ny

• Improves diagnostic treatment
• Increases patient satisfaction by achieving notably better outcomes
• Speeds rehabilitation and recovery
• Reduces the need for anti-inflammatory medication
• Allows the patient to continue to engage in everyday activities.

Dr. Sid graduated with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Life University in Marietta, Georgia in 1997.  His practice is unique and focuses on spinal and soft tissue rehabilitation from injuries and other non-traumatic conditions.  Dr. Sid has had advanced training and certification in active release technique, Graston Technique^®, CLEAR Institute scoliosis therapy, EPTS, and Cox Flexion Distraction.  He has lectured throughout New York City on topics including scoliosis, active release technique, Graston Technique^®, and the neurological system.  Dr. Sid has practiced on the same block in New York City for 11 years.  For more information on Dr. Sid’s practice, please visit his web site at www.espritwellness.com.  Graston Technique is a registered trademark.

June is National Scoliosis Awareness Month.  I’d like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to be alert for signs of scoliosis in their family members.  When we think of screening for scoliosis, typically, we look at school-age girls.  It’s true that scoliosis is the leading orthopedic problem seen in school-age children; when screening for it in schools, we find it in 2-4% percent of children 10 to 16.1,2  But from age 17-21, it’s present in nearly 12%.3  When we examine 20-23 year olds, 15% have scoliosis.4  Scoliosis is diagnosed in 19.9% of adults with low back pain, and in 68% of healthy adults over 60.5-7  Obviously, the prevalence of scoliosis increases with age.5  We should be on the look-out for scoliosis in everyone!
Mild scoliosis can negatively affect exercise & psychosocial function in young people.8-15  In adults, it is responsible for a significant amount of impairment, pain, & disability.7  Don’t discount the possibility that scoliosis could be what is causing your headaches, neck pain, back pain, or leg pain!
Fortunately, chiropractic has come a long way in learning how to help people with scoliosis.  It must be recognized that scoliosis is a complex condition, and diversified chiropractic adjustments, heel lifts, and postural screening may not be enough to effectively manage it.16  There are chiropractors who specialize in scoliosis, who have documented very promising results.17  If you encounter a case of severe or rapidly progressing scoliosis, before referring your patient out for bracing or surgery, search for a chiropractic scoliosis specialist in your area at www.clear-institute.org/ny

In our clinic, we have developed a great deal of respect and even admiration for the men and women of all ages who have come to us for treatment of their scoliosis.

We have listened to their stories, empathized with their pain, and shared in their joy as positive changes were made to their so-called “incurable” condition. We have also formed close relationships with men and women who, in their youth, had undergone the Harrington rod implantation surgery in an attempt to halt the progression of their scoliosis and, sadly, found the quality of their lives worsened, rather than improved by the procedure.

Q: Why should I seek treatment for my scoliosis from a chiropractor certified by CLEAR Institute? What do they know that my regular D.C. doesn’t?

A: Typical chiropractic adjustments have been proven to be ineffective or even harmful to the scoliotic patient, due to the mobilization of fixated vertebrae by the adjustment.

While this may cause pain relief in the short term, the long term result is increased progression of the Cobb angle. CLEAR practitioners are not focused on relieving pain, although this is certainly the end result. Chiropractors trained by CLEAR Institute are committed to achieving structural changes to the spine that will allow the body to de-rotate and correct itself, and use specific, reproducible precision x-rays that are analyzed according to exact guidelines to measure and quantify the change.
We focus on involving the patient in the treatment process. Rather than trying to “force” the spine into position with rods or braces, we work with the body to address the internal cause behind why the scoliosis developed. This involves active involvement on the part of the patient, as we re-train patterns of walking, re-balance the strength of muscles on each side of the body, and re-model posture. Advanced chiropractic adjustments achieve the correction, but your participation ensures its permanence.

Q: What are the effects of scoliosis?

A: Scoliosis is not always associated with pain, although it commonly may be.

Even in people without pain, however, the function of the heart & lungs is compromised. According to the National Scoliosis Foundation, scoliosis is associated with reduced life expectancy. On the average, people with scoliosis suffer a 14-year reduction in their life expectancy due to the strain upon the heart & the reduced amount of oxygen supplied to the body. Scoliosis is also associated with headaches, shortness of breath, digestive problems, chronic disease, and hip, knee, & leg pain.

Q: Will my scoliosis get worse as I age?

A: For a long time, doctors told patients that their scoliosis would not progress after the age of 18.

Unfortunately, research has proven otherwise. Whether scoliosis develops earlier in life (Type A) or in adulthood (Type B), it will most likely progress; the only question is how fast. Additional studies have shown that as the Cobb angle increases, the amount of chronic pain goes up, and the ranges of motion & the quality of life goes down.

Q: My scoliosis is termed “idiopathic,” meaning the cause is unknown. Is it true that I inherited this condition from my mother?

A: You may have heard that researchers at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children recently discovered a gene associated with scoliosis.

However, there are several flaws with the “gene theory” of disease. For instance, it has been universally recognized in recent years that attempting to attribute a genetic basis to any disease is an exercise in futility. While there may be such a thing as a genetic predisposition, the presence of a genetic marker for a specific disease is in no way a guarantee that the carrier will ever express that particular gene. An article featured in the July 2005 issue of Scientific American, entitled, "Identical Twins Exhibit Differences in Gene Expression," is an appropriate confirmation of this concept. Even amongst identical twins, gene expression differs over one-third of the time! For more information on this concept, research the science of epigenetics, or click here.

CLEAR Institute teaches that scoliosis is the body’s natural and innate response to the loss of mechanical function provided by the normal curves of the spine. When these curves disappear, the body re-inserts them in another dimension. If scoliosis has a “cause,” then it can only be described as the laws of physics!

I returned from a 4-day advanced seminar on scoliosis treatments, highlighting adult scoliosis treatment, specifically.

Recent developments in the field of treating adults with scoliosis have emerged. We now have the capability to offer adult scoliosis treatment as well treatment for scoliosis in teens.

Our approach is unique in that we are the only practice in New York City (and the Northeast region) to incorporate SpineCor research, Spinecor flexible brace, Clear Institute practices and Pettibon technique in the treatment of Scoliosis.

We have a powerful and complete scoliosis program. We have also devised scoliosis exercises that patients can perform at home. In essence, I equate wearing the spinecor brace to undergoing 20 hours of scoliosis physical therapy a day which, combined with Clear Institute's "mix", "fix", and "set" principle (i.e., Mix it up, fix it and then set it in place) create a scoliosis treatment protocol like no other. Clear Institute asserts that applying their protocol can achieve a 10 to 30 percent correction initially. These are great results as it affords people a non-invasive, non-surgical alternative for treating scoliosis. Stay tuned for more exciting research in the area of adult scoliosis treatment.