Blog Archive

If you’re lucky enough to age and you’ve enjoyed some days in the sunshine, there’s a 100% chance you’ll develop visible nasolabial folds. Sometimes called marionette lines, nasolabial folds run from your nose to the edges of your mouth. They’re often deep wrinkles. At Osteopathic Center for Healing, our goal...

If you have osteoarthritis, you know that the pain can limit your activities. Part of good health includes doing the things you enjoy doing, and our experts at Osteopathic Center for Healing want to help you live a life full of activity and joy.  One of the reasons we offer...

Your nerves send signals to your brain to tell it when something hurts. If, for example, you accidentally touch a hot pan, the nerves in your fingers register the sensation and send a signal to your brain, then your brain triggers your muscles to yank your hand away.  But sometimes,...

Although most people think of thinning hair as a problem that mostly affects men, both men and women tend to experience hair loss as they age. Both sexes can lose their hair due to medical conditions, too. Happily, we offer some innovative treatments that can help.  At the Osteopathic Center...

Although varicose veins look like they hurt, they often don’t, but you probably still don’t like them. Don’t let the appearance of raised, visible veins on your legs hold you back, because we can help.  At Osteopathic Center for Healing in Rockville, Maryland, Neil Spiegel, DO, and Jennifer Gularson, PA-C,...

Between 60 and 70 million Americans have some kind of digestive disease. If you have a chronic stomachache, you’re not alone. It’s important, though, to understand what’s causing your problem so that you can address it effectively.  At Osteopathic Center for Healing in Rockville, Maryland, Neil Spiegel, DO, and Jennifer...

Society has created an image of what life looks like after you have a baby, and while this picture of postpartum life includes things like sleeplessness, it also glows with the joy of new parenthood.  It almost never includes the idea that your hormones could be changing so fast you’ll...

Depression is insidious, creeping into your thought processes and reactions, and even robbing the pleasure from your favorite activities and interactions with loved ones. It can leave you feeling empty, hollowed out, and unable to care about much of anything.  To make matters worse, finding an appropriate treatment can be...

After more than 20 years on the market, Botox® is a household name, and most everyone understands what it does. Yet, there are several new FDA-approved neuromodulators available.  In this post, we consider how two of them, Dysport® and Jeuveau®, differ from Botox and from each other.  Neil Spiegel, DO,...

Hyaluronic acid is a type of sugar that occurs naturally in your body, and it’s also an ingredient in many cosmetic products. When used in injectable dermal fillers, it helps to lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and to restore lost volume.  At the Osteopathic Center for Healing, our...

Worldwide, 10-40% of men have a testosterone deficiency. Experts believe that low testosterone is becoming more common among younger men, as well, with around 20% of men ages 15-39 experiencing low testosterone.  Neil Spiegel, DO, and Jennifer Gularson, PA, at the Osteopathic Center for Healing in Rockville, Maryland, specialize in...

The medical name for hair loss is alopecia, and though many people think it’s mostly a problem that men have, anyone can lose their hair. Alopecia can be temporary, or it can be permanent. One of the earliest signs most people notice is that their hair is thinning.  A key...

Osteopathic medicine takes a whole-person approach to comprehensive and hands-on care. Osteopathic manipulation is part of that approach, and requires the doctor using their hands to manipulate your body. The healing power of touch is involved. A doctor of osteopathy (DO) has similar training to a medical doctor (MD) except...

Although you may not like the way they look, varicose veins aren’t usually a threat to your health. But they may cause discomfort and an aching feeling.  At Osteopathic Center for Healing, Neil Spiegel, DO, and Jennifer Gularson, PA-C, understand the importance of feeling good about how you look in conjunction with living...

If you have skin issues, intentional wounding of your skin may seem like a terrible idea. But when the wounds are microscopic and made by a highly trained provider, and you take care of your skin afterward, the results can be amazing.  This process is called microneedling, and our trained...

Acupuncture has been practiced for thousands of years, and we think that’s because it’s effective. People wouldn’t continue to seek acupuncture if it weren’t helping. Plus, researchers are increasingly discovering evidence that shows that acupuncture can be effective.  Neil Spiegel, DO, has extensive training in alternative therapies and is also...

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy isn’t a new technique, but it is one that is being used for many different purposes. PRP is often combined with other therapies to treat specific issues, and doctors are finding it helpful in even difficult-to-treat chronic conditions such as arthritis.  At Osteopathic Center for Healing, Neil Spiegel,...

Menopause is a time of transition, and for many women that transition includes some very uncomfortable symptoms, such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and mood changes. These symptoms can last for years and can cause discomfort to an unacceptable degree.At Osteopathic Center for Healing in Rockville, Maryland, our medical team, led by Neil...

No matter which way you look at it, nutrition is important. Growing children need proper nutrients for development, young people need to fuel their active lives, parents need to keep up with busy families, and as you age, you want to protect your health as much as possible.  As functional...

Acupuncture has been used for more than 2,000 years, and increasingly modern-day clinicians are finding a place for it in their practices.  Researchers are investigating the use of acupuncture to treat different conditions and are finding that in most instances, it presents few risks and may offer plenty of benefits. ...

You might think of estrogen or testosterone when someone talks about hormonal balance. Although those are important hormones and you may well experience an imbalance because you have too much or too little of either one, a different hormonal issue is the most common — diabetes.  At Osteopathic Center for Healing in...

Stretch marks are very common. In fact more than 85% of adolescents develop stretch marks. But the fact they are common doesn’t make them less bothersome.  At Osteopathic Center for Healing, our goal is to help you reach optimal health. Neil Spiegel, DO, and Jennifer Gularson, PA-C, along with our staff, know...

Everyone loses hair everyday. It’s part of the normal cycle of hair growth. But when you begin finding far more hair than usual in the shower drain, or you can see more scalp than you used to, you may be experiencing thinning hair.  At Osteopathic Center for Healing in Rockville, Maryland, Neil Spiegel,...

Acupuncture is an ancient practice, having been used for more than 2,000 years. It’s not a miracle, but it is often a solution for difficult-to-treat problems.  At Osteopathic Center for Healing, our licensed medical acupuncturist, Neil Spiegel, DO, brings his depth of knowledge as a medical practitioner to bear during acupuncture treatments.  Most of...

Stretch marks are very common, and women are twice as likely as men to develop them. Until quite recently, there weren’t any effective treatments.  Although stretch marks don’t generally cause symptoms, they can be distressing. At Osteopathic Center for Healing in Rockville, Maryland, Neil Spiegel, DO, and Jennifer Gularson, PA-C, understand how important it...

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a therapy that has a growing list of applications. It’s been used to help in the healing of traumatic injuries and joint injuries for some time, and more recently to treat hair loss and various other cosmetic concerns.  At the Osteopathic Center for Healing, Neil Spiegel,...

Your endocrine system is complex and involved in most of your biological processes. Your sleep cycles, hair growth, digestion, heart rate, metabolism, and even the speed your body ages are all controlled in part or whole by the hormones of your endocrine system.  When those hormones are out of balance,...

Around 50% of American adults have a chronic health condition, and functional medicine often provides better outcomes for them. If you feel that treating your symptoms isn’t working, functional medicine, which focuses on the underlying cause of disease, may be a good choice.  When you come to the Osteopathic Center...

Are you curious about acupuncture? You may have heard how it helped a friend or relative and now wonder whether it could help your condition. Here’s how acupuncture can be an effective element in a well-rounded treatment plan.  At the Osteopathic Center for Healing in Rockville, Maryland, our outstanding providers,...

Some of the most difficult-to-treat conditions involve joint or soft tissue pain. For example, low back pain is often related to soft tissue issues like muscle or ligament strain. Chronic low back pain is notoriously difficult to live with and to treat.  At Osteopathic Center for Healing, our providers, Neil...

According to the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R), degenerative joint disease and osteoarthritis are one and the same. It’s also sometimes called “wear-and-tear” arthritis, and it’s the most common form of the disease.  At Osteopathic Center for Healing, we think osteoarthritis may be avoidable, or at least...

Every part of your body, from your brain to your muscle tissue, has a job and requires instruction to complete that job. Those instructions are issued by your endocrine system, and delivered to the various parts of your body by hormones.  Out-of-balance hormones, or lower-than-optimal levels of hormones can cause...

The American Migraine Foundation estimates that about 39 million Americans have migraine. Migraine is a complex neurological disorder, and many people struggle to get a diagnosis. Even with a diagnosis, finding a treatment that works and doesn’t carry the risk of unacceptable side effects can be challenging.  At Osteopathic Center...

The medical name for pain caused by nerves is neuropathic pain, and you may sometimes hear it called neuropathy. Since all pain signals are transmitted through nerves, understanding the cause of the pain is important. Is it because you have tissue damage that needs to be treated, or is it...

Like so many health topics, there’s a lot of misinformation surrounding nutrition. Should you count macros? Eat fewer carbs? Go vegan?  The number of approaches to nutrition and good health is surprising and confusing, especially if you just want basic information like what you should eat to remain healthy as...

Although we tend to think of stress as a negative feeling, it serves an important purpose. When you’re under stress, your “fight-or-flight” processes kick in. Your body produces adrenaline, extra cortisol, and a host of other hormones that work to help speed your reactions and sharpen your senses. If you...

Did you know that menopause is one, single day? It’s the day that’s exactly 12 months from your final menstrual cycle. The period of time that most of us think of as menopause, when you may have hot flashes, vaginal dryness, bone loss, and other uncomfortable symptoms, is actually perimenopause. ...

According to the Cleveland Clinic, around 80% of people deal with back pain at some point in their lives. At least some of those aches and pains could be alleviated with better posture. As specialists in functional medicine, Neil Spiegel, DO and physician assistant Jennifer Gularson, the expert providers at...

Companies like 23andMe and Ancestry have made the idea of genetic testing common, widely available, and popular. However, consumer genetic tests like those and the genetic testing that is done for medical purposes are quite different.  There are certainly important medical reasons for genetic testing, and in this post we...

Do you have spider veins on your legs or face? Spider veins are small red or bluish veins just under the surface of your skin that are clearly visible.  At Osteopathic Center for Healing, Neil Spiegel, DO, and Jennifer Gularson, PA-C, recognize that if you’re uncomfortable with how you look,...

Every system in your body is important and necessary. Without your circulatory system, your heart doesn’t beat and your blood doesn’t flow, for example. However, you may never have considered the importance of your endocrine system.  Your endocrine system controls your hormones, and while you may think of hormones as...

Although hair loss is more common among men, women can experience it as well. Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss, and it can be caused by genetics, hormonal imbalances, lifestyle factors such as how you wear your hair, medical treatments like radiation or chemotherapy, or even a very...

There’s some irony in the fact that many people regard acupuncture as “new age” when it’s actually been done for thousands of years as part of traditional Chinese medicine. In the ancient practice, acupuncture needles were used to stimulate or disrupt streams of energy running through your body called Qi...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is incredibly common, and affects almost 25% of the adult population of the United States. More than 30 million people have OA, and it most often affects the knee joint. When you consider the importance of your knees, you begin to understand why treating the stiffness, swelling, and...

If you’re not familiar with prolotherapy, this post is for you. The American Osteopathic Association of Prolotherapy Regenerative Medicine defines prolotherapy as “a recognized orthopedic procedure that stimulates the body’s healing processes to strengthen and repair injured and painful joints and connective tissue.”  When the soft tissues, such as ligaments...

Everyone knows what hormones are, but most of us have little idea of what hormones actually do within our bodies. At Osteopathic Center for Healing, one of the services that Dr. Neil Spiegel and Physician Assistant Jennifer Gularson,PA-C offer is hormone balancing. Your hormones impact your health in myriad ways,...

Like you, our staff at the Osteopathic Center for Healing in Rockville, Maryland, has some concerns right now. The COVID-19 pandemic is an outbreak of a new virus that scientists and doctors don’t fully understand, that is deadly in some people but doesn’t cause any symptoms at all in others....

Have you ever heard of andropause? It’s the male version of menopause. You may have heard it referred to as low testosterone or low T. At the Osteopathic Center for Healing, Dr. Neil Spiegel has helped numerous men overcome this condition and return to feeling healthy again.  Low testosterone: What...

At Osteopathic Center for Healing, Healing, Dr. Neil Spiegel, DO and Jennifer Gularson, PA-C are happy to offer two treatments for hair loss that are effective and don’t rely on harsh chemicals or pharmaceuticals. Our goal is to take away the worry of seeing lots of hair in the shower...

If you’ve dismissed microneedling as just the latest trend, you may want to reconsider. Our providers and patients at Osteopathic Center for Healing in Rockville, Maryland, are finding it’s an effective solution to common skin conditions.  Scars, wrinkles, dullness If you’ve got scars from wounds or acne, or you’re seeing...

Osteopathic manipulation is an approach to treating a wide range of conditions and problems that may seem unusual if you’re used to more conventional treatments. That’s because it doesn’t involve medications or surgeries. Instead, it addresses structural issues that could be causing functional problems.  Dr. Neil Spiegel believes that both...

Experts estimate that some 20 million Americans have peripheral nerve damage, just one of the more than 100 different types of nerve damage. Your nerves can be damaged by disease, trauma, medications, and nutritional deficiencies, among other causes.  Dr. Neil Spiegel at the Osteopathic Center for Healing treats many patients...

Your hormones are controlled by your endocrine system. Like all of the systems of your body, your endocrine system is critically important for good health and well-being.  Your endocrine glands produce hormones, which are like messages delivered through your bloodstream to your organs and other tissues. When your hormones are...

There’s no getting around it: We are all going to get old -- if we’re lucky. But advancing age doesn’t necessarily mean increasing illness, even though it may seem that way sometimes. Dr. Spiegel doesn’t have a magic pill or injection to offer you that stops the hands of time....

Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a dedicated athlete, injury can throw you off your game. Returning to activity too soon after an injury can lead to being sidelined longer, so it’s imperative to wait until you’re fully healed. If exercise is your preferred method of stress relief, or if...

What have you heard about acupuncture? When it comes to this ancient treatment method, there’s plenty of misinformation available. Here are some of the myths we’ve come across, along with the facts you need to know. Myth: Acupuncture is not science-based Because acupuncture has a history that reaches back to...

Every now and then, a new procedure or treatment approach seems to sweep through and be the answer for all your woes. If you’re skeptical, it’s with good reason. “Trendy” isn’t a word that should ever apply to medical procedures. Right now, it seems as if platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy...

Your body’s endocrine system controls your hormones, which perform a variety of critical functions in your body. Hormones are, at least in part, responsible for your metabolism, libido, weight gain or loss, bowel movements, joint function, mood, and many other bodily processes. It’s normal for hormones to fluctuate, but sometimes...

“You are what you eat” is a cliche for good reason -- because it’s true. The food you consume gives your body the building blocks it needs in order to function. Everything, from simply breathing, to far more complex processes like healing from an injury, depends on proper nutrition. As...

Has Dr. Spiegel recommended acupuncture to help with a health problem you have? Acupuncture can be an important part of your health care, and has a long, rich history of healing. Acupuncture is one part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and it’s been used for more than 2,000 years. With a...

Regenerative medicine is an exciting field of study right now, as researchers continue to learn more about the human body’s capacity to heal itself. Some areas are well-researched and the power of regeneration at the cellular level is proven. There are different areas of study in the field of regenerative...

If you’ve never heard of prolotherapy, you may be wondering what exactly it is. It’s considered an alternative therapy, and it’s most often used to treat injuries to connective tissues and joints. How prolotherapy works Prolotherapy involves injections of a mild irritant into the injured part of your body. Most...

Osteopathic manipulation therapy (OMT) is a treatment approach used by doctors of osteopathy, such as Dr. Spiegel here at the Osteopathic Center for Healing. It involves the doctor using his hands to manipulate your muscles and joints. Here are seven facts about OMT that may surprise you. 1. OMT is...

When it comes to acupuncture, people often have predictable reactions. You may think, “Needles? No, thank you!” or you may think acupuncture is some kind of new age woo and not really a medical treatment. But if you have migraine pain, you should investigate acupuncture, like many of our patients...

Painful, stiff joints are a common byproduct of aging. In fact, 30% of adults over age 45 have some form of arthritis. Arthritis is a catch-all term for conditions that cause inflammation and pain in your joints. There are more than 100 different types of the disease, with osteoarthritis leading...

Your hormones regulate numerous processes in your body, including how well you sleep, your appetite, your temperature, your mood, and many other physical aspects of your life. The most common reason for a hormone imbalance is menopause, and for many, symptoms after menopause make life uncomfortable. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy...

More people are gaining an interest in functional medicine, which is gradually increasing in popularity because of a more health-conscious population.We live in an era where information is more readily accessible than ever. Moreover, people are taking more ownership and responsibility for their health. Consequently, functional medicine has increasingly become...

If you’ve ever heard the phrase “male menopause,” you probably know a little about the hormonal imbalances that men can experience with age. However, men don’t have the same kind of abrupt shift that many women have. Also, scientists are still learning about how men are affected by hormonal changes....

Nearly 40 million adults in the United States suffer from migraines, the most severe type of headache. For most migraine sufferers, episodes recur frequently, and nearly five million people experience at least one episode each month. Adults are increasingly using acupuncture, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment, to relieve issues...