Second Thoughts About Injecting Poison...

Women's health issues image.

It’s the hottest craze since hula-hoops and there’s a line at the plastic surgeon’s office a mile long to get one. What is it? Why it’s the latest wrinkle eraser of course, the injection of the botulinum toxin! One injection removes those crevices and creases, those crows’ feet and smile lines, those forehead wrinkles and frown lines. So what could possibly be wrong with this simple and relatively inexpensive way to turn back the years on your face? Plenty!

Consider the facts…
  • The injection comes from the "botulinum toxin" which causes botulism, a food poisoning that causes muscle weakness

  • It doesn’t work on all wrinkles, only the ones caused by tension in certain muscles in the face

  • The effects don’t last more than a few months and cost hundreds for each session

  • Treatments could result in the inability to raise your eyebrows or squint or express facial expressions, resulting in a mask-like appearance

  • Unwanted effects include headache, nausea, drooling, swelling, redness, droopy eyelids and feeling as though you have the flu

Still want to make that plastic surgeon appointment?

Perhaps you might consider some natural wrinkle-reducing alternatives, such as avoiding smoking, eating a healthy diet, including more vegetables and juicing, exercising regularly and making sure you get the proper amount of sleep. Unless of course the idea of injecting poison into your body and preventing your face from showing expressions seems more appealing to you!

Dr. Mike Asks some important questions of interest to Hillside residents - Chiropractor Hillside Dr. Mike Asks...

Why is a "slipped disc" unlikely?
Separating each spinal vertebra is a disc. Its fibrous outer ring holds in a jelly-like material. Because of the way a disc attaches to the spinal bones above and below it, it can't actually "slip." However, a disc can bulge, tear, herniate, thin and collapse. But it can't slip.
Are aches and pains good or bad?
While aches or pains may be unpleasant, they're merely warning signs. As a Hillside chiropractor, I see this all the time. The pain is not the problem! It just means a limitation has been reached and something needs to change. That's when we get to work correcting the underlying cause.