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CHIROPRACTIC NEWS

Back-to-school backpack safety: What every student, parent should know

September 24, 2010

September 15, 2010, was the 10th anniversary of National School Backpack Awareness Day and an ongoing effort to make parents and students more aware of safety concerns related to carrying heavy backpacks.   

Research published in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics, found that students carrying excessive weight in their backpacks may develop long-term back pain and other serious health conditions including numbness of the shoulder, muscle spasms and posture deterioration.

“Common backpack misuse — from loose straps to item overload — causes a shift in the center of gravity and will require an altered posture to compensate for the extra load,” advises Gerard Clum, DC, president of Life Chiropractic College West and spokesperson for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP).

According to the latest research,limiting bag weights to no more than 5 percent to 10 percent of body weight, as well as making sure to accurately position the bag and use both straps for even weight distribution, can significantly decrease a child’s risk of spinal injuries and discomfort.      

“At first glance, the weight of a backpack doesn’t seem like it would affect posture or mobility. Over time, however, the weight takes its toll and can lead to a greater potential for injury,” adds Dr. Clum.

To combat backpack-related injuries, many parents choose backpacks with multiple compartments. This design can effectively position and distribute weight while providing students with alternative storage options. While some parents continue to believe in the common misconception that bigger is always better, turning backpacks into personal portable lockers has now proven to be detrimental to students’ health.

Chiropractic included at Vancouver Winter Olympic Games

February 24, 2010

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, include chiropractic care inside the Olympic Village Polyclinic, a multi-disciplinary facility offering comprehensive healthcare and medical services.
While DCs have historically been included on the Olympic medical staff, this year’s events mark the first time that DCs from the host country will be treating athletes and officials from around the world directly inside the Polyclinic.

“This is an historic event not only for the chiropractic profession, but also the athletes who will now have access to the care that will help them prepare their bodies for competition,” states Michael Reed, DC, MS, DACBSP, and team USA’s medical director (USOC). “These athletes train hard and endure significant physical demands. Sports-focused DCs, along with other members of the sports medicine team, are specially skilled to assist them in reaching peak performance.”

Chiropractic care has experienced several major moments in Olympic history, dating back to Leroy Perry, DC, who provided chiropractic care to athletes representing Antigua during the 1976 Games in Montreal, Canada. During the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, NY, George Goodheart, DC, became the first official chiropractor appointed to the U.S. team. With each subsequent Olympic Games and Pan American Games, the U.S. teams ,along with a growing number of other national teams , have included at least one doctor of chiropractic on their medical staff.

Source: Southern California University of Health Sciences, www.scuhs.edu

U.S. Rep. introduces legislation expanding chiropractic services

January 27, 2009

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., has reintroduced legislation into the U.S. House of Representatives that would extend chiropractic healthcare services to U.S. military retirees, dependents, and survivors as part of the TRICARE program.

If signed into law, HR 484, the Chiropractic Health Parity for Military Beneficiaries Act, would require the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan to allow any beneficiary covered under TRICARE to select and have direct access to a doctor of chiropractic. The plan deadline is Aug. 31, 2009.

“We owe our service members and their families the best quality healthcare available, which is why the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC) are proud to have played a significant role in developing the language for this bill,” said ACA President Glenn Manceaux, DC.

For years, the ACA has been lobbying Congress to more fully integrate chiropractic care — a proven and cost-effective healthcare choice — into the military and veterans’ healthcare systems. Although recent legislation has established a permanent chiropractic care benefit for America’s veterans and active-duty military personnel, chiropractic care is only available at a limited number of stateside military bases and VA facilities across the country.
Source: American Chiropractic Association, www.amerchiro.org

August 1, 2008

Immune Function Helped by Chiropractic - Study Says

A recent study found that a chiropractic adjustment immediately improved immune function and enables a patient to better fight infection for at least 2 hours, but potentially for much longer, by increasing certain biochemicals at the cellular level.

This study was designed to see if certain blood cells would produce more of a substance called Interleukin-2 (IL-2) after chiropractic adjustments. IL-2 is produced by blood cells and is instrumental in the body's natural response to infection. If blood cells produce IL-2, the body can fight infections more readily. IL-2 also helps the body to know the difference between a foreign threat of infection, and what is naturally inside the body.

In this study, blood samples were taken from 76 individuals. The blood samples were tested to see if they produced IL-2 when exposed to a bacteria. Then the participants were separated into 3 groups. One group was used as the control and received no adjustments. The other two groups both received adjustments, but one group received an adjustment that included joint cavitation (the familiar "popping" sound) and the other group receiving adjustments that made no sound at all.

Four blood samples were taken from the group. The first was prior to the chiropractic adjustment, the second was immediately after the adjustment, the third was taken 20 minutes after the adjustment and the final sample was taken 2 hours after the adjustment. Each sample was then tested to see how much IL-2 they produced when exposed to a bacteria.

The results documented that both groups that had some form of adjustment showed an increase of IL-2 at both the 20 minute and 2 hour times. The group that was tested at those same time intervals but had not received a chiropractic adjustment did not have a rise in IL-2 levels and therefore would not have been as receptive to fighting an infection. The researchers were therefore able to conclude that one single manipulation to the thoracic (mid-back) spine of asymptomatic subjects causes a significant enhancement in IL-2 production by blood cells when tested in a culture dish. Additionally, adjustments associated with joint cavitation demonstrated slightly better immune improvement at 2 hours than the adjustments that did not elicit a "popping" sound.

The study was published on May 28, 2008 in the scientific journal, Chiropractic & Osteopathy, by the Chiropractic & Osteopathic College of Australasia.

February 20, 2008

Fix spine, lower blood pressure?

About 72 million adults in the United States are living with high blood pressure. That's one in three people. Statistics show only 35 percent of them have it under control. Now, research shows a spinal adjustment may actually help control blood pressure.

A study by University of Chicago doctors shows the treatment lowers blood pressure by 17 points.

THE STUDY: Researchers enrolled 50 people with high blood pressure who also had a misaligned C-1 vertebra in the study. Half of the patients received a detailed, tailor-made atlas adjustment based on how misaligned their C-1 vertebra was. The other half of the patients received a sham adjustment, which was designed to be indistinguishable from the real adjustment. George Bakris, M.D., from the University of Chicago says the C-1 vertebra relies on soft tissue to maintain alignment and is uniquely vulnerable to displacement. A misaligned C-1 vertebra is common and can occur without pain. It often goes undiagnosed and untreated.

February 20, 2008

Chiropractic Adjustments Can Help the Body Heal Itself

According to a study published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, chiropractic care may influence basic physiological processes affecting oxidative stress and DNA repair—in other words, how the body heals itself.

The study compared 21 subjects who underwent short-term chiropractic care to 25 subjects who underwent long-term chiropractic care, and a control group of 30 subjects who did not undergo any chiropractic care.

The researchers measured serum thiols levels, which are primary antioxidants and provide a surrogate estimate of DNA repair enzyme activity, or how the body heals itself.

The results showed a significant difference in the serum thiol levels of the three groups. The levels were highest in the long-term chiropractic care group.

“Going through life, we experience physical, chemical, and emotional stress," says Christopher Kent, DC, one of the authors of the study. "These stresses affect the function of the nervous system. We hypothesized that these disturbances in nerve function could affect oxidative stress and DNA repair on a cellular level. Oxidative stress results in DNA damage and inhibits DNA repair.”

"I remind my patients that chiropractors apply spinal adjustments to correct disturbances of nerve function and that chiropractic care appears to improve the ability of the body to adapt to stress and therefore heal itself faster and to a greater degree," he continues.

So what does Kent tell his patients when they ask him how to stay healthy?

"Get adjusted," he says

February 6, 2008

Migraines, Sleep Habits and Melatonin

Another new study has linked Migraine headaches and sleep disturbances.

When hyperactive nerve cells send impulses to blood vessels, Migraines can be the result. This is accompanied by the release of brain chemicals and inflammatory substances that cause the pulsations to be painful.

Research recently published in the journal Headache demonstrated a link between migraines and sleep disturbance. Researchers conducted a detailed sleep interview with 147 women with migraines. When asked whether they were refreshed or tired upon waking, none reported feeling refreshed, and more than 80% said they were tired when they woke.

In a second study on sleep habits and migraines, also published in Headache, researchers provided stronger evidence that good sleep habits reduce both the number and intensity of migraine headaches. In these findings, 43 women with transformed migraines received behavioral sleep instructions or placebo instructions in addition to usual medical care. The women recorded their migraine headaches in diaries. At the end of the study, the women who received behavioral sleep instructions reported a significant reduction in migraine headache frequency and intensity.

Taking melatonin 30 minutes before bedtime can help curb migraine headaches, according to a small study by Brazilian scientists.

Melatonin is a hormone produced in the brain's pineal gland; it helps regulate sleep-wake cycles. Imbalances in the level of melatonin in the body may be related to headaches like migraines and cluster headaches.

The findings, which come from a team of researchers led by Mario F.P. Peres, MD, PhD, of Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in Sao Paolo, Brazil, show that melatonin may be used as a preventive therapy for frequent migraine sufferers.

During the study's last three months, participants took 3 milligrams of melatonin 30 minutes before bedtime.

Sources:
Peres, M. Neurology, August 2004; vol 63: p 757
American Headache Society: "Headache Hygiene Tips." The International Headache Society: "Epidemiology of Headache." WebMD Medical Reference: "Women and Headache: Migraine." The Women's Guide to Ending Pain by Howard S. Smith, MD, and Debra Fulghum Bruce, PhD. Calhoun AH. Ford S. Finkel AG. Kahn KA. Mann JD. Neurology. 2006; vol 46: p 1039. Calhoun AH. Ford S. Headache, 2007; vol 47: pp 1178-83. Vincent Fortanasce, MD, neurologist, psychiatrist; author, Anti-Alzheimer's Prescription. Ronald Fieve, MD, professor of clinical psychiatry, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center; author, Bipolar II. The Fibromyalgia Handbook, Harris H. McIlwain, MD, and Debra Fulghum Bruce, PhD. Medicinenet, "Migraine Headache."

February 6, 2008

Exercise as Good as Surgery for Knee Pain

An exercise regime is as effective as surgery for people with a chronic pain in the front part of their knee, known as chronic patellofemoral syndrome (PFPS).

PFPS is often treated with arthroscopic surgery, in which equipment is inserted through small incisions in your knee to diagnose and fix the problem. However, there is little evidence that this treatment is the best option.

The study, conducted by researchers at The ORTON Research Institute in Helsinki, Finland, compared arthroscopy with exercise in 56 patients with PFPS.

One group of participants was treated with knee arthroscopy and an eight-week home exercise program, while a second group received only the exercise program.

After nine months, patients in both groups experienced similar reductions in pain and improvements in knee mobility. A follow-up conducted two years later still found no differences in outcomes between the two groups.

The only difference discovered was in cost: those who had received the surgery had to pay over $1,300 more than the exercise-only group.

The researchers concluded that arthroscopy is not a cost-effective treatment for PFPS.

Sources: Science Daily December 13, 2007

February 6, 2008

Chiropractic Adjusments Helping Kids With ADHD

When school became difficult and concentration became strained, Sofie began taking medicine. But the medication had its side effects.

Watch this inspiring story originally reported on WBZ BOSTON to see how Sofie's mother turned to a chiropractor for a solution to her daughter's ADHD.

Ckick Here To Watch Video

Source: WWBZtv.COM Special Reports

February 6, 2008

Choosing a Mattress

An A mattress should provide uniform support from head to toe. If there are gaps between your body and your mattress (such as at the waist), you’re not getting the full support you need.

Be aware that changes in your life can signal the need for a new mattress. For example, if you’ve lost or gained a lot of weight, if a medical condition has changed the way you sleep, or even if you have changed partners.

Every few months, turn your mattress clockwise so that body indentations are kept to a minimum. Generally, your mattress should be replaced every 5 to 8 years to ensure proper support and comfort. If you’re waking up uncomfortable, it may be time for a new mattress.

A 2003 study published in The Lancet found that people who slept on mattresses of medium firmness were twice as likely to report improvement in lowback pain symptoms than those who slept on firm mattresses.

When selecting a mattress, look for one that is:

• Designed to conform to the spine’s natural curves and to keep the spine in alignment when you lie down.
• Designed to distribute pressure evenly across the body to help circulation, decrease body movement and enhance sleep quality.
• Designed to minimize the transfer of movement from one sleeping partner to the other.

Sources: Reprinted from the American Chiropractic Association.

February 6, 2008

The Key to Better Aging is Mobility Says New Study

In a paper published in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers closely examined the factors that affected Health-Related Quality-of-Life for a group of older Americans. The study revealed that mobility is a key factor impacting quality of life for older adults.

The researchers concluded that "Taken together with past research, which has demonstrated that loss of mobility predicts loss of independence, mortality, and nursing home admission, it is clear that interventions that can preserve or improve mobility in older adults could produce increases in both quantity and quality of life."

As a chiropractor I have always taught my patients that when it comes to their physical health, they must "use it or lose it". Mild stretching along with moderate exercise are a great start for most patients. Add to this a daily 30 minute walk during which you focus your mind in meditation, re-affirm your daily decisions and pray and you have a recipe for a long, happy, healthy life! Chiropractic adjustments are designed not only to improve nerve flow and relieve pain, but to restore your range of motion and balance.

The New Year is right around the corner. Maintain your mobility with stretching, exercise, regular adjustments and a hearty daily walk! Thus you will add "Years to Your Life and Life to Your Years!"
 

Source: Science Daily,American Journal of Preventative Medicine

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