Dr. Ben Kim's blog

One of the most important principles taught in chiropractic school is that every joint in the body is affected by the health of adjacent joints.

Put another way, when a patient presents with a knee problem, it's prudent to do a thorough evaluation of the knee, hip, and ankle regions, as sometimes, dysfunction in the ankle or hip can be a root cause of knee pain and dysfunction. Read more

Your hip abductors are muscles that lie on the upper and outer portion of your buttocks. These muscles - called your gluteus medius and minimus - allow you to move your lower extremities out and away from your midline. They also allow you to rotate your legs inward so that the toes of one leg face your opposite leg. Read more

One of our favorite family activities is locating new countries on our globe and learning about the people and cultures of said countries. Margaret and I hope that our boys grow up to appreciate the beauty and diversity of our world and its living creatures, and what better way to encourage this than to spend family time tracing our fingers all over our globe. Read more

I've long been big on smoothies. When made with quality ingredients, they're such an enjoyable way of ensuring nutritional excellence for kids and adults alike.

Rich in nutrients and flavor, smoothies offer an easy way to deliver super food nutrients to our cells. We are lucky to live at a time when remarkable, health-enhancing food powders are available to enhance our health at any age, and smoothies make it easy to get these nutrients to our cells daily. Read more

I'm not sure how long foam rollers have been around, but over the past several months, I've discovered how powerful a therapeutic tool they can be for promoting and maintaining optimal physical health.

The idea is simple enough: Using your own body weight and agility, you roll specific muscle groups against a firm foam roller to mimic a deep, gliding massage. Read more

The other day, an acquaintance, knowing that I am a chiropractor, asked me for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth on whether he should or shouldn't see a chiropractor for his chronic low back pain. Read more

One dietary goal that I've long had for myself is to eat a head of dark green lettuce every day. I find that regular intake of lettuce (being sure to chew it thoroughly before swallowing) helps keep my teeth feeling strong, and of course, I like knowing that my body is getting steady inflow of chlorophyll and plenty of minerals that it can use to keep all of my organ systems healthy. Read more

The other day, I was driving along a semi-busy road when I noticed that the driver of an oncoming SUV was clearly texting away on her cell phone. I instinctively hovered my right foot over the brake and did the same with my right hand over the horn, ready to swerve and honk if needed. Read more

During my first few years of private practice, for most cases of jaw pain and dysfunction, I applied a carefully executed manual adjustment to the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ), also known as the jaw joint, found in front of each ear. This is the protocol that I learned as an intern from a supervising clinician. Read more

If you chew gum on a regular basis, please consider the following:

1. Chewing gum causes unnecessary wear and tear of the cartilage that acts as a shock absorber in your jaw joints. Once damaged, this area can produce pain and discomfort for a lifetime.

2. You use eight different facial muscles to chew. Unnecessary chewing can create chronic tightness in two of these muscles, located close to your temples. This can put pressure on the nerves that supply this area of your head, which can lead to chronic, intermittent headaches.