Well-Adjusted: The Chiropractor's Corner
Chiropractic in the Military
Retired General Rebecca Halstead spoke at the 2009 Chiropractic Symposium and Expo in St. Louis and advocated the inclusion of chiropractic care at military medical facilities. "The conditions our military endures can cause serious musculoskeletal pain and misalignments of the spine," she said. "Chiropractic can alleviate back injuries, headaches and the stress often associated with the strain of the gear and the conditions endured every day."
Currently, only 60 out of more than 235 military medical facilities around the world have chiropractic care.
In Other News:
Cure for High Costs
A report commissioned by the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress and conducted by a Harvard Medical School researcher found that the inclusion of chiropractic care under insurance plans can improve cost-effectiveness of health care.
Equine Adjustment
The founder of modern chiropractic, D. D. Palmer, used his techniques on animals as well as people. Although the practice had gone out of vogue, it has recently gained ground once again, especially in horses. Twenty percent of the members of the Association of Equine Practitioners practice alternative medicine in horses, and 49 percent of those use chiropractic methods.
National Chiropractic Month
October is National Chiropractic Month, sponsored by the National Chiropractic Association. The month of chiropractic awareness focuses on a particular aspect of treatment, and this October that focus is headaches.
A huge proportion of Americans suffer from some form of headache, and chiropractic care has been shown to be an effective treatment for certain types like tension headaches.
In Other News:
Caring for Substance Abusers
A program run by Palmer College of Chiropractic in Florida has begun providing chiropractic care in a number of facilities for recovering substance abusers. By treating physical problems, recovering from addiction will become easier as well.
Libel Law Changes?
A prominent scientist in the United Kingdom, Richard Dawkins, is calling for legislators to change the libel laws that have been in the news surrounding the British Chiropractic Association’s lawsuit against journalist Simon Singh.
Chiro Kids
Having a well-adjusted child isn't just a matter of balancing school, friends and video games anymore. As chiropractic treatments for pediatric patients have grown in popularity, a group of researchers at Alcantara Chiropractic Wellness Care in San Jose decided to assess the safety of these treatments in young people. They conducted a review of hundreds of patients under the age of 18, and published their results in Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing.
Chiropractors reported three adverse events out of 5,438 office visits by 577 children; parents indicated two adverse events out of 1,735 visits for 239 children. Both parents and practitioners reported high rates of success with the treatments.
In Other News:
Backpack Attack:
Back pain among children has become more common in recent years, and their school backpacks may be the culprit. Backpack-related injuries accounted for more than 7,000 emergency room visits in 2001, and a recent Italian study found that 60 percent of children surveyed reported back pain as a result of carrying large packs to school. One tip: Don't allow a child to carry a pack weighing more than 10 percent of his body weight.
Not for Colic:
Although some have claimed chiropractic treatment can be effective for infant colic, a study done at the Universities of Exeter & Plymoth in the UK found a lack of supporting evidence from a number of randomized clinical trials. For the moment at least, the jury is out on using chiropractic for colic.
Targeting Capitol Hill
As the debate over national healthcare reform heats up, the chiropractic community is turning up the temperature as well. Starting in mid-September, the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (FCP) will spend $1 million on an advertising campaign aimed at informing legislators and the public how chiropractic contributes to cost-effective, quality care.
The campaign will begin in the Washington, D.C. editions of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, and will then expand to include the Washington Post, Politico and Roll Call. Advertisements will feature two FCP spokespeople: former NFL superstar Jerry Rice as well as retired Brigadier General Rebecca Halstead. The campaign will run through mid-October.
In Other News:
Presidential letters
The president of the American Chiropractic Association, Glenn Manceaux, sent a letter to another President in late August: President Obama. In his letter, he urged President Obama to maintain a dialog with the chiropractic community during the ongoing health care reform initiative.
Chiropractic de-listed
As the US moves slowly toward a universal health care system, Canada continues to tinker with its version, pinpointing which medical services are to be covered through public funding. Chiropractic care was removed from that list in Alberta recently, as a 16-person panel was convened by the health minister to reevaluate where best to spend health care money.
Cost-Effective Chiropractic
An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but you could also just head to your chiropractor. Sticking with conservative approaches-like chiropractic-to treating musculoskeletal disorders may cut overall health care costs. In a pilot program conducted in Iowa and South Dakota, using chiropractic and some other treatments appeared to be an effective route to take.
The study included 238 physical therapists, chiropractors and occupational therapists treating 5,500 patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Patients who received chiropractic treatment or physical therapy were less likely to have surgery and had reduced overall costs compared to those who did not receive such treatment.
In Other News:
Managing diabetes
As diabetes continues to skyrocket around the world, diabetics can benefit from chiropractic. Peripheral neuropathy, the most common neurologic deficit associated with diabetes, can leave many patients with debilitating musculoskeletal problems.
Urging reform
As the U.S. Congress adjourns, the American Chiropractic Association is encouraging all its members to take action to ensure that the much-discussed health care reform bill includes provisions regarding coverage of chiropractic services.
Merry-Go-World
After a car accident or an unfortunate tackle in a pick-up game of football, the vertebrae located at the base of the head may become misaligned, disrupting signals to and from the brain and throwing the body off balance. The result? Vertigo. If this is the case, a chiropractor can solve the problem by realigning the offending vertebrae. But there are other kinds of vertigo that call for different kinds of treatments.
A recent case study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Theapeutics features a 46-year-old woman who suffered from frequent dizzy spells, nausea and nystagmus. She was diagnosed with Benign Positional Vertigo. Normally, movement of the fluid in the semicircular canal of the ear signals head movement, but in a BPV patient, particles in the inner ear become dislodged, giving the brain the false impression that the head is moving. Her doctor of chiropractic performed the Epley maneuver—which usually takes 15 minutes— and promptly relieved the woman of her vertiginous burden.
Road Trip 101: Perhaps the mere thought of a New York City taxicab makes your stomach churn. Motion sickness is another brand of vertigo, caused not by a knock on the head or rogue ear particles but, rather, by conflicting signals from the inner ears, eyes and body. It can be prevented with visual fixation, a technique that involves keeping the eyes on a certain point in the horizon. Sitting in the front of a car or train, or near the wings of a plane, may help as well.
Skip the Wash: Keep your world upright and vertigo-free by avoiding certain head positions—like the one used in salons for shampooing hair, which involves bending the neck back while looking up at the ceiling.
Ancient Power: Ginkgo biloba is the oldest living tree species and is approved in Germany for treating dementia. It has been found to reduce symptoms of vertigo in several studies; in one, 47% of the subjects who took Ginkgo biloba extract reported a full recovery, versus 18% of the placebo group.
At Your Convenience
Sliced bread, Google calendar, squeezeable ketchup bottles, online check-in...is it time to add chiropractic to the list of convenient products and services? Increased availability is quickly making chiropractic accessible to a wider pool of the uninitiated. The House of Representatives recently approved a bill that would require chiropractic to be made standard for all active duty military personnel. Eleven facilities—including, for the first time, overseas treatment centers—are slated to begin offering chiropractic services. Additionally, Cleveland College students gathered to pen some 1,300 missives agitating for chiropractic care to be included in the national health care reform bill as a covered benefit.
Things are also easier for existing addicts who pop in regularly for their spinal fixes. Many chiropractic offices are now one-stop shops for patients' health needs, not only offering traditional adjustments but also maintaining a stock of nutritional supplements, from intraMAX, a liquid organic energizer, and its child-friendly counterpart, intraKID, to Gastrex, which helps with stomach ulcers.
Machine Adjustments: Instrument adjusting is growing in popularity among the ranks of chiropractors, thanks to its ease of use and enhanced efficiency. The new technique adjusts the vertebra just like the manual method, but with increased speed and, consequently, less force. Since it's easier on the patient, it's a viable alternative for delicate seniors and squirmy 5-year-olds.
Inconvenient Midnight Mayhem: Newly minted mommies and daddies are no strangers to sleepless nights characterized by the nonstop howls of little Sally. Research by Joyce Miller shows that where pharmaceutical, dietary and behavioral prescriptions failed to quell newborn wailing, manual spine adjustments were more likely to succeed.
A Back Story
Like most of us, Carol Davis has to deal with a lot in life. She's a single mother, she holds a full-time job, she cooks dinner, she sorts the mail. And, like most of us, she suffers from bouts of back pain. Most back pain is caused by muscle strain or ligament sprain brought on by poor posture, improper lifting or being overweight. Other causes include osteoarthritis, herniated discs, osteoporosis and fibromyalgia. Factors like stress, a sedentary lifestyle and lack of sleep aggravate the condition.
At one point or another, 50%-80% of people in the US have experienced back pain; we spend over $24 billion annually in hopes of banishing it. Traditional medicine frequently leads sufferers of back pain to the operating table, but back surgery often ends poorly. Not only does it neglect the root of the problem--the cause of the back pain in the first place--but in one post-op scenario, the body overcompensates by putting pressure on other joints, creating new problem areas to replace the surgically-repaired originals. Human hands are an alternative to knives; chiropractic spinal adjustments help relieve pain and keep the spine properly aligned.
Professionals Only: Just because you can crack your knuckles doesn't mean you should attempt to adjust yourself. A chiropractor must apply precisely the right amount of pressure at precisely the right location. "Popping" your back by stretching or twisting it can be counterproductive and even dangerous.
The Backstrong Challenge: Gregory Kolwaite, DC, offers tips for pain-free days.
- Stand straight and keep your head directly over your shoulders--good posture is key.
- Stay active and maintain a healthy weight. Yoga, swimming and walking all keep the body fit and limber, benefitting the spine by keeping off excess pressure.
- Get 8 hours each night. For high-quality Zzz's, take your last meal at least three hours before you hit the hay and set your thermostat below 70 degrees. Sandwiching a pillow between the knees relaxes the spine.
- Drink 6-8 glasses of water every day--not coffee, juice, or soda--to ward off dehydration. Dehydration negatively impacts your spinal discs and muscles, leading to stiffness and increased injury.
O Canada: Even 15 minutes per day spent off the couch and on your feet will help combat back pain. To that end, the Canadian Doctors of Chiropractic launched a website to promote the Fit-in-15 habit.
For Ages Five to Ninety-Five
Focus on this: ADHD medication is linked to increased risk of sudden cardiac death, according to a recent study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the FDA. The probability of dying suddenly and inexplicably is six to seven times higher for young Ritalin-users than for their non-medicated peers. The study alone shouldn’t be grounds for cutting children off from ADHD medications, but it should serve as a clear reminder to parents and doctors to proceed with caution. Doctors should conduct careful, thorough screenings for heart defects before filling out stimulant prescriptions. A holistic approach that takes into account diet and chiropractic techniques is effective for suppressing ADHD symptoms.
Young at Heart: As for the aging Baby Boomer population on the other end of the spectrum, chiropractors advise getting off the La-Z-Boy and jumping into the ring rather than watch from the sidelines. Regular physical movement delays the onset of age-related chronic diseases like osteoarthritis and high blood pressure. So, for the sake of maintaining quality of life and mental acumen, take up salsa, climb a mountain, walk the rounds, dance in the rain—just keep moving.
International Healing: Christian chiropractor John Sharpless is setting sail for Cuba to spread the gospel of love and chiropractic to sufferers of back pain beyond the fifty states.
Fight Back (The Complementary Way)
Imagine trying to stand only to find that you’re unable to walk, or laughing only to find that your face is frozen. This is the nightmarish reality for sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease. Traditional medicine relies on surgery and medications to alleviate symptoms. But a study published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation showed that when patients suffering from these diseases used chiropractic to fight back, a large fraction—most of whom likely suffered from the diseases as a direct consequence of head or neck trauma—benefitted a great deal. Out of the 44 Multiple Sclerosis patients, 91% reported improvements coupled with a halt in the progression of the illness. Out of the 37 Parkinson’s patients, 92% reported improvements and no worsening of the condition. Thus, using chiropractic to correct injury to the neck stopped and actually reversed the disease progression for both groups of patients—no knives required, no needles necessary. An alternative way to battle ailments.
Hold the Pills: One in three adults have high blood pressure and turn first to medication. Research suggests that instead of popping pills, a visit to a specialized chiropractor, who can realign the C1 vertebra at the top of the neck, may prove just as effective. In a small double-blind study, subjects who received the special treatment watched their blood pressure drop by an average of 17 points—that’s what you’d get out of two pills.
That's Not All, Folks: According to the Chiropractic and Nutrition Wellness Center, other benefits of chiropractic care include improved flexibility and circulation, a stronger immune system, increased energy levels, instant pain relief and heightened performance in athletic training.
