Better Life, Better Health through Chiropractic

Chiropractic Explained

This award winning presentation from a Chiropractic student is brilliant. Please watch, listen and learn …

These articles make informative reading also: [Chiropractic Misconceptions] and [Effectiveness and Popularity of Chiropractic Care].

Inspirational Quote

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the staircase”.

Martin Luther King Jr, Civil Rights Leader

With thanks to Powerful Practices

Chronic Neck Pain = Respiratory Dysfunction?

The results of a study published in the July issue of Cephalalgia support the hypothesis that patients with chronic neck pain could have a predisposition towards respiratory dysfunction.

Reuters Health Stories

“Although chronic neck pain syndrome has received considerable clinical research attention, many different relevant aspects of its consequences are still under investigation,” Dr. Eleni Kapreli, of Technological Educational Institution of Lamia, Greece, and colleagues write.”Abdominal and chest breathing was assessed by observation only, and results showed that 83% of patients with neck pain, in a population of different chronic musculoskeletal pain syndromes, experienced a changed breathing pattern indicating a relationship between neck pain and respiration.”

The mean age of the patients was 29.42 years. Patients had a history of neck pain of 1 to 12 years (mean 4.77 years). Patients with neck pain had a statistically significant decreased maximal voluntary ventilation (p = 0.042) compared to controls Neck pain patients also had a mean reduction in maximal voluntary ventilation of 14%, in Pimax of 21.4%, and in Pemax of 16.5%. An increased forward head posture was strongly associated with decreased respiratory muscle strength in patients.

“The connection of neck pain and respiratory function could have a great impact on various clinical aspects, notably patient assessment, rehabilitation, and consumption of pharmacological agents,” Dr. Kapreli said in an interview with Reuters Health. “In terms of assessment, all the different components of respiratory function should be included, aiming to gather a representative wholesome perspective of patients’ problems.”

“The current study provides support to the belief that the clinician should have a ‘holistic view’ of the patient,” Dr. Kapreli said. “Even in the case of a common musculoskeletal disorder, other systems could have also been influenced,” the author explained. “Therefore, providing therapeutic solutions only for the main symptom is rather frustrating for the patient.”

Cephalalgia 2009;29:701-710.

Inspirational Quote

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results”.

Willie Nelson, Musician

With thanks to Powerful Practices

Is it too late to start Chiropractic care?

Am I too old to start Chiropractic care? Say what?

It’s NEVER too late to start improving your quality of life.

We have all had that amazing moment in our life when we say “Enough!” Enough pain and discomfort. Enough breathing difficulties. Enough not being able to walk from one room to another. What to do?

Well, start with the obvious. Quit smoking. Lose weight. Move that body. Eat more of the right things and less of the “wrong” things. All the stuff we KNOW about. So do the right thing. ’nuff said.

So where am I going with this? A recent article from Dynamic Chiropractic discusses some misconceptions about aging. One being that degenerative changes and osteoarthritis are natural consequences of aging. Not true. If it were so, everyone would have the same conditions. And why does one knee have degeneration, but not the other? They are the same age, after all!

Chiropractic care improves biomechanical function by restoring normal motion to the spine, relaxing tight muscles, improving joint coordination and inhibiting pain.⁴ Chiropractic can improve joint function and reduce symptoms in patients who already have osteoarthritis, as well as reduce the wear and tear that leads to osteoarthritis.

And look into custom orthotics to minimise foot, leg and hip problems also.

Inspirational Quote

“We cannot become what we need to be

by remaining what we are”.

Max De Pree

With thanks to Powerful Practices

Chiropractic and Public Health

This article caught my eye: “Why Public Health Matters“.

Mostly we don’t think about Public Health per se. It’s just there. And yet it has such huge ramifications to most aspects of our lives. I remember as a Chiropractic student learning about water purification and the safe slaughtering of cattle; those were just the field trips. And even then I wondered what relevance this had to my future avocation as a Doctor of Chiropractic.

This article brought it all back. It also reinforced the necessity of seeing the bigger picture. “Public health is prevention, treatment and mitigation, and chiropractors are involved intimately.”
This is where I and my profession are coming from:

Reduction of incidence, prevalence, morbidity and mortality are critical components of public health concepts of wellness, and are equally important to chiropractic practice. Prevention can reduce the incidence of a given disease or condition, treatment may reduce the prevalence of a disease or condition, and intervention may limit the morbidity or the mortality associated with a chronic condition. Chiropractors often try to use these concepts with their patients. Physical activity and nutritional guidelines may be given to a patient to attempt to prevent episodes of back pain or overcome a current pain episode. Ongoing care may be provided to limit or control chronic back pain while striving to improve activities of daily living. These are public health roles.

So when you think about health and public health, think about Chiropractic. It’s all about prevention of dis-ease by keeping things working properly without interference.

Placebo Effect is Real

A recent study from German researchers has shown that the placebo effect is physiological, not just psychological.

In other words, it’s not “all in the mind”!

The study showed that when the subjects expected a pain relieving cream to be effective, their pain was reduced by 25%. “When patients expect a remedy to be effective, the brain releases natural endorphins, which tell the spinal cord to suppress incoming pain signals.”

The researchers showed that an area of the spine called the dorsal horn works with the brain to activate this so-called placebo effect.

Read these fascinating articles:
Placebos: Is It All in Your Spine?
Direct Evidence for Spinal Cord Involvement in Placebo Analgesia
Spine, brain work together in placebo
Placebo effect starts in the spine

Diabetes drug linked to heart failure

As a diabetic, I find this worrying.

On August 24, 2009, Science Daily published the results of a study into the drugs rosiglitazone and pioglitazone. These belong to a class of drugs called thiazolidinediones and are widely used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The study found that rosiglitazone is associated with an increased risk of heart failure and death among older patients.

Detailed analysis showed that patients treated with pioglitazone had a significantly lower risk of heart failure and death compared to patients treated with rosiglitazone.

People who have concerns regarding their medication should consult their medical practitioner.

Diabetes Drug Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Failure

Related articles by Zemanta

• Diabetes drug could lead to heart failure: Study (canada.com)
• Avandia, Diabetes Drug, May Cause Problems (blisstree.com)
• Actos safer for heart than Avandia, study suggests (ctv.ca)
• Avandia Raises Heart Failure Risk More Than Actos (nlm.nih.gov)

Inspirational Quote

“The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison”.

James Cash Penney, Founder of JC Penney Stores

With thanks to Powerful Practices