The Clinic Family Health & Sports Chiropractic

Alternative health practices show benefits for treating pain

2011-06-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

AUSTIN, Tex., May 19, 20011 -- A variety of complementary and alternative health practices —including meditation and relaxation techniques, manual therapies such as massage and spinal manipulation, meditative exercise forms such as yoga, Tai Chi, and ancient health practices such as acupuncture—show promise for contributing to the management of pain according to research presented today at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, www.ampainsoc.org.

In her keynote address to pain clinicians attending the APS conference, Josephine Briggs, MD, director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health said that these approaches are widely used by Americans as part of management of painful conditions including headache, back or neck pain, and arthritic or other musculoskeletal pain.

“Much of health care involves helping people find solutions for tough problems like pain. I think all physicians are well aware of how difficult it is to manage chronic pain patients,” said Briggs. “For example, with back pain we see that large numbers of patients are turning to these approaches with the hope of decreasing discomfort, improving function and quality-of-life, and minimizing side effects of pharmacologic treatments.”

Read more: http://www.chiroeco.com/chiropractic/news/11256/851/alternative%20health%20practices%20show%20benefits%20for%20treating%20pain/

Healthy sources of Vitamin D

2011-05-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

HOUSTON – The recent increase in recommended vitamin D intake from the Food and Nutrition Board may prompt some to seek more summer sun. But, experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center say there’s no safe amount of time people can stay in the sun without increasing skin cancer risks.

People tend to think of sunshine when they think of vitamin D — and for good reason. When UV rays come in contact with the skin, it triggers the creation of vitamin D.

“Some people may absorb enough vitamin D from their routine outdoor exposure,” says Susan Y. Chon, M.D., assistant professor in MD Anderson’s Department of Dermatology. “However, the benefits of UV exposure may be limited because they can lead to increased risks of developing skin cancer.”

On a hot summer day, unprotected skin can be damaged in as little as 15 minutes.

Read more: http://www.chiroeco.com/chiropractic/news/11249/856/healthy%20sources%20of%20vitamin%20d/

Getting injured workers back on the job faster

2011-05-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

More than 85 per cent of the working population will experience backrelated injuries or conditions, and Health Canada estimates that musculoskeletal disorders, including back pain, cost Canadian society $16.4 billion annually in treatment, rehabilitation and lost time.

In Alberta, back injuries in the workplace account for more than 25 per cent of all Workers' Compensation Board lost-time claims.

Workplace injuries can strike any industry. While traditionally associated with physical labourers such as construction workers or warehouse employees, back pain, strain or injury also affects office workers, retail and sales employees, professional drivers and health-care providers.

Back pain, strain or injury can happen when you least expect it -bending, lifting, twisting the wrong way, sitting hunched over at the computer, or even stepping out of a vehicle after a day of driving.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Getting+injured+workers+back+faster/4703282/story.html#

Americans still may not be getting enough calcium

2011-05-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia, PA – Americans may not be getting enough calcium in their diets, according to a new study published in the May 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. This study is unique among those focusing on calcium intake in the US population because both dietary and supplemental sources were evaluated across adult age groups and compared to accompanying patterns in energy intake.

"Calcium plays a fundamental role in promoting bone health and forestalling osteoporosis. In light of evidence that energy intake declines with aging, calcium dense foods and calcium supplements become vital factors in maintaining adequate calcium intake across the lifespan," commented Jane E. Kerstetter, RD, PhD, Professor, Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut. "Encouraging calcium supplementation is an established approach to addressing this issue in the clinical setting – one that needs additional emphasis in order to promote more frequent and sufficient supplementation in meeting adequate intake levels. Altering the concentration of calcium in the diet relative to energy by increasing consumption of nutrient dense foods is a new and important concept that also deserves additional consideration as a component of osteoporosis prevention efforts."

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Clinical nutrition gains popularity as doubts are cast on drug treatment

2011-05-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

May 2, 2011 — In the past few months, the results of published studies regarding the effectiveness of drugs call into question the validity of drugs as treatment.

As consumers become more aware of this kind of information, along with steady increases in degenerative diseases despite medical treatment, more people are turning to destination clinics for clinical nutrition and other treatment modalities that represent a more integrated and effective approach to health.

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Use the power of chiropractic to help athletes reach the highest levels of performance

2011-04-25T08:24:00.000-07:00

By DelRae Messer, DC

If you are now (or ever were) an athlete, you’re well aware that athletes are among the toughest patients to work with. They care about the bottom line: enhanced performance, speedy recovery, and injury prevention. As a chiropractor, you know that chiropractic not only benefits injury treatment and prevention, it also facilitates optimal nervous system function.

Whether working with high school, college, or professional athletes, keeping it simple seems to be the best approach.

A research study published in the Journal of Chiropractic Research, Study and Clinical Investigation,1 indicated chiropractic care might improve athletic performance by nearly 17 percent over a two-week period. The report also concluded that subluxation-free athletes react faster, coordinate better, and execute fine movements with improved accuracy and precision, amounting to an overall better performance.

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Medical Schools Embrace Alternative Medicine

2011-04-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

Now that nearly 40 percent of American adults swear by some form of complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM—from nutrition and mental relaxation to acupuncture, magnet therapy, and foreign healing systems like traditional Chinese medicine and Indian ayurveda—a growing number of medical schools, too, are supplementing medication with meditation.
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Interest in teaching alternative approaches "has exploded, especially this last year," says Laurie Hofmann, executive director of the Institute for Functional Medicine, which is based in Gig Harbor, Wash. The nonprofit institute educates healthcare professionals to look for underlying systemic imbalances as a cause of illness rather than focus on treating symptoms and, when possible, to correct with lifestyle changes and mind-body techniques.

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The health halo effect

2011-04-12T08:08:00.000-07:00

Washington, DC — Jenny Wan-chen Lee, a graduate student in Cornell University’s Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, has been fascinated with a phenomenon known as “the halo effect” for some time. Psychologists have long recognized that how we perceive a particular trait of a person can be influenced by how we perceive other traits of the same individual. In other words, the fact that a person has a positive attribute can radiate a “halo”, resulting in the perception that other characteristics associated with that person are also positive. An example of this would be judging an attractive person as intelligent, just because he or she is good-looking.

A growing literature suggests that the halo effect may also apply to foods, and ultimately influence what and how much we eat. For instance, research has shown that people tend to consume more calories at fast-food restaurants claiming to serve “healthier” foods, compared to the amount they eat at a typical burger-and-fry joint. The reasoning is that when people perceive a food to be more nutritious, they tend to let their guard down when it comes to being careful about counting calories—ultimately leading them to overeat or feel entitled to indulge. This health halo effect also seems to apply to certain foods considered by many to be especially healthy, such as organic products. Specifically, some people mistakenly assume that these foods are more nutritious just because they carry an “organic” label –an area of longstanding active debate among food and nutrition scientists.

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Doctors of chiropractic commend injury prevention awareness

2011-04-06T08:04:00.000-07:00

April 5, 2011 — The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) reminds everyone that doctors of chiropractic can help play an important role in the prevention and treatment of many common injuries.

This reminder comes as communities across the country are observing National Public Health Week 2011 (NPHW). The theme of this year’s observance — “Safety is NO Accident” — focuses on preventing injury at home, work or play.

In general, doctors of chiropractic promote the value of prevention as a key component of health and wellness. They routinely provide recommendations to patients on topics such as proper lifting techniques, improving balance through exercise, workstation ergonomics and using mobile technology safely — all of which can prevent injury.

This week, ACA is highlighting its library of patient information and videos offering tips on how to prevent injuries at home, work and play.

Should injury occur, doctors of chiropractic offer expert examination and treatment that gets patients back to work, in the game and able to enjoy their activities of daily living.

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The pioneers of nutrition

2011-03-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

These five companies were among the first in their field to establish the science of clinical nutrition and supplements.

By Daniel Sosnoski

In this profile series, Chiropractic Economics interviewed the presidents and CEOs of five industry leaders in the field of nutrition. We wanted to know how and why these companies were established, what milestones they reached along the way, and what challenges they faced.

We call these companies “pioneers” because they launched at a time when Americans were relatively unfamiliar with the concept
health Source

of supplemental and clinical nutrition. To be sure, the story of nutritional science involves more than these five pioneering firms, and our selections are not intended to overlook the contributions made by so many others.

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6th International Laser Therapy Conference to be held in June

2011-03-22T18:14:00.000-07:00

March 22, 2011 — The 6th International Laser Therapy Conference will be held June 9–11, 2011 at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto. Whether you are a novice, an advanced laser healthcare practitioner, or have just discovered the exciting health applications of laser therapy register now and don’t miss out on this highly anticipated event!

This year’s conference features more than 30 confirmed world-class and internationally renowned speakers from around the globe sharing their specialized expertise and valuable experience in the various fields of laser therapy. The panel of speakers consists of both distinguished researchers and clinicians from a variety of fields such as physicians, chiropractors, massage therapists, veterinarians, dentists, and physiotherapists.

The three day conference will provide detailed lectures, hands-on demonstrations, panel discussions, and open forums covering a wide variety of topics. Don’t miss out on the chance to network with the best in laser therapy!

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Vitamin D may protect against bone loss, infections, cancer

2011-03-17T18:10:00.000-07:00

March 17, 2011 — Vitamin D is supplied by sunlight, eggs, milk, tuna, and salmon, but most North Americans — with the possible exception of lifeguards and other outdoor workers — can benefit from consuming extra D in the form of supplements, experts at Cooper Complete in Dallas say.

To fend off osteoporosis, cancer and other diseases, Cooper Complete vitamins contain more D than federal government or Institute of Medicine guidelines recommend.

Under a review funded by the U.S. and Canadian governments, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report in November reviewing dietary needs for vitamin D and calcium. The IOM is a U.S., not-for-profit organization founded in 1970 and is part of the United States National Academies.

Commenting on bone health, an IOM panel said Americans up to age 70 need to consume no more than 600 International Units of vitamin D daily, but people in their 70s and older require as much as 800 IUs.

Since D controls calcium uptake, levels must be adequate to address bone health. The IOM panel also said the safe upper limit for D intake is 4,000 IU per day. Dosage recommendations were based on what the panel believes would allow most people to maintain a vitamin D blood level of 20 nanograms per milliliter.

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How does MCHC compare to other forms of calcium

2011-03-10T18:08:00.000-08:00

Q. How does MCHC compare to other forms of calcium?

A. Microcrystalline hydroxyapatite concentrate (MCHC) is a compound derived from a whole animal bone, which is comprised of calcium, magnesium, zinc, silica, manganese, and other trace minerals. MCHC has been shown to support bone health by acting as "bone food." Whereas other forms of calcium should be considered simply as "good sources of calcium," and calcium is important for many health reasons other than bone, MCHC provides more nutrients than just elemental calcium for effective bone support.

While MCHC is an effective source of calcium, its primary benefit comes in bone support formulas. Certainly calcium has many non-bone uses and other types of calcium remain important in overall health.

Of course, "...bones
are "more than just calcium," and MCHC is considered an "bone food." Because bone is much more complex than just calcium alone, it also requires more than just calcium for total bone nutrition. Thus, a compound such as calcium citrate or any other form of calcium alone is unlikely to be superior to MCHC as a "complete bone food."

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Can certain foods help with pain relief?

2011-03-07T18:06:00.000-08:00

March 7, 2011 — With America’s nearly 30 percent obesity rate, it is well understood that lean and clean recipes for the health nut trends are all the rage right now.

But what about those food choices that do something a little different for the 50 million Americans that suffer from chronic pain on a daily basis? We all know comfort food feels good, but research shows relief to pain symptoms can come from certain foods and it can just happen to be healthy too!

What is the major culprit to pain or stiffness in the body? For patients who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis for instance, the body’s natural inflammatory response is to blame.

“Fats in foods can have the greatest effects on the inflammatory process,” says Charles Friedman, DO, pain management specialist of Pain Relief Centers in Pinellas Park.

The big “O”

Omega fats play a large role in promoting or inhibiting inflammation so it is important to understand the difference between the good and the bad, like omega-6 verses omega-3. “Omega-3’s can be found in fish, flax seed and walnuts and are known as ‘calming fats’ because they reduce and prevent stress,” explains Friedman.

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Rep. Bruce Braley introduces healthcare bill to benefit chiropractic

2011-03-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

March 1, 2011 — Representative Bruce Braley (1st District, Iowa) recently introduced the Access to Frontline Health Care Act of 2011 bill to Congress.

According to Rep. Braley, the bill “sets up a new incentive to make sure that chiropractors practice in underserved areas, and will help ensure that Iowans have access to chiropractors no matter where they live.”

The bill (H.R.531) was introduced in the House of Representatives and was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Rep. Braley notes that he believes “chiropractors play a critical role in our health care
zim max freeze system” and that he’s “fighting to make sure all Americans have access to these crucial health services.”

Rep. Braley said, “This bill creates a new student loan repayment program called the Frontline Providers Loan Repayment Program, through which a chiropractor can pledge to practice for two years in an underserved area. In exchange, the chiropractor receives student loan repayment. This is a win-win for patients and providers.”

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EON Systems serves the future of chiropractic

2011-02-23T07:08:00.000-08:00

February 22, 2011 — EON Systems Inc. has been enthusiastically active with the students of chiropractic for years. EON has been to numerous colleges for homecomings, vendor fairs, and speaking engagements.

They have also donated their software by raffling it off at student vendor fairs to help with the colleges’ fundraising activities and donated their software in other various ways, including for the use at the college’s clinic.

Founder and CEO, Derek Greenwood, will be again lecturing this trimester at Palmer Chiropractic College on “How to Choose Software.” The students appreciate the importance EON places on them as the future of chiropractic.

EON further caters to the
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students by offering a package specifically designed for their needs. This beginning version of their comprehensive practice management and billing software, The Practice Solution Powerstart is exactly the same as the full version except Powerstart has a patient limit.

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Chiropractors meet with Congress during NCLC 2011

2011-02-18T07:04:00.000-08:00

February 21, 2011 -- Nearly 500 chiropractic physicians, students, and supporters converged on the nation’s capital Feb. 14-15 as part of the American Chiropractic Association’s 2011 National Chiropractic Legislative Conference (NCLC) with the Chiropractic Summit. Those in attendance listened to speeches from government leaders, received advocacy training and urged elected officials to support pro-chiropractic measures that seek to provide patients, veterans and active-duty military personnel with greater access to the essential services provided by chiropractic physicians.

While last year’s conference focused on the first phase of health care reform, congressional debate surrounding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), this year’s meeting concentrated on the next phase, implementation of the law.

Among the speakers this year, Iowa State Sen. Jack Hatch (D-Des Moines), a member of the White House Legislative Working Group on Health Care Reform, stressed that while the work being done on Capitol Hill to expand patient access to chiropractic care is vital to improving health care for all Americans, at this stage important work is also being done in every state capital. “This is both a challenge and an opportunity,” he said.

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Congress moves to expand chiropractic to veterans, military beneficiaries

2011-02-10T11:31:00.000-08:00

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC) recently expressed support for newly introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives designed to expand the availability of the services delivered by chiropractic physicians in the federal Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and to those who utilize the military’s healthcare delivery system, TRICARE, run by the Department of Defense (DoD).

Ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.), has again introduced the Chiropractic Care to All Veterans Act (H.R. 329), a bill similar to legislation that was overwhelmingly passed by the entire House in 2010 but was not considered in the Senate.

H.R. 329 would require the VA to have a chiropractic physician on staff at all major VA medical facilities by 2014. It would also amend the current statute, the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Programs Enhancement Act of 2001, ensuring chiropractic benefits are included in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations and therefore, cannot be denied.

“Our nation’s veterans and active-duty military, along with their family members, have sacrificed so much for our country. They deserve the best healthcare available, and that includes chiropractic care,” said ACA President Rick McMichael, DC. “It makes me proud to see the chiropractic profession working with our congressional allies in support of this important legislation.”

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SPECT/CT imaging of the lumbar spine in chronic low back pain: a case report

2011-02-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

Mechanical low back pain is a common indication for Nuclear Medicine imaging. Whole-body bone scan is a very sensitive but poorly specific study for the detection of metabolic bone abnormalities. The accurate localisation of metabolically active bone disease is often difficult in 2D imaging but single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) allows accurate diagnosis and anatomic localisation of osteoblastic and osteolytic lesions in 3D imaging. We present a clinical case of a patient referred for evaluation of chronic lower back pain with no history of trauma, spinal surgery, or cancer. Planar whole-body scan showed heterogeneous tracer uptake in the lumbar spine with intense localisation to the right lateral aspect of L3. Integrated SPECT/CT of the lumbar spine detected active bone metabolism in the right L3/L4 facet joint in the presence of minimal signs of degenerative osteoarthrosis on CT images, while a segment demonstrating more gross degenerative changes was more quiescent with only mild tracer uptake.

Read the case report here

The Increasing Threat of Syndemics and the Role of Chiropractic Care

2011-01-24T08:21:00.000-08:00

By David J. Brunarski, DC, MSc, FCCS(C), Associate Editor

The medical anthropologist Merrill Singer introduced the word syndemic in 1992 and recently updated the definition as "a set of enmeshed and mutually enhancing health problems that, working together in a context of deleterious social and physical conditions, increase vulnerability to significantly affect the overall disease status of a population."

This novel concept is gaining momentum because it has become increasingly clear that the burden of modern health care cannot be addressed by the traditional policy of designing therapeutic research trials and prevention programs that only focus on one disease or risk factor at a time. It is now understood that few serious and/or chronic diseases occur in isolation. Comorbid diseases occur simultaneously in the same individual, but may or may not interact with each other. Even if they do interact, this does not necessarily lead to worse health outcomes.

Read the full story here

Study: Chiropractic helps with respiratory virus, ear infections

2011-01-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

January 21, 2011 — The research, reported in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health - Chiropractic, details the experience of a young child through 20 months of chronic illness that responded to chiropractic intervention and calls for more research in this area.

“Numerous case studies and some clinical studies are revealing that there is a relationship between abnormalities in the spine, the nervous system and the various problems related to ear infections,” stated Dr. Francesca Marino, one of the authors of the paper. “These types of structural problems in the upper part of the neck cause a back-up of the lymphatics and problems with the tubes draining the middle ear. By removing the structural imbalance chiropractic helps these fluids drain, and improves nerve supply and range of motion.”

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Study says bed rest bad for low back pain

2011-01-11T10:18:00.000-08:00

A report published in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library (a publication of the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research) concluded that bed rest—the traditional “prescription” for acute low-back pain—is outdated.

“Normal daily activity seems to be the best way for patients with low-back pain to get better,” said Kristin Thuve Dahm, a researcher at the Norwegian Centre for the Health Services and lead author of the review. According to the report, active patients experience less pain and avoid the side effects of immobility.

In the review, which directly compared rest in bed and staying active, the authors combined two previous Cochrane reviews, published in 2002 and 2004, that evaluated the two treatments separately. They also searched for additional recent randomized trials, but found none.

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Study begins on Cox procedure for neck pain

2011-01-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

Medical and chiropractic researchers are joining efforts to study the effects of Cox distraction manipulation for neck pain. The study is part of a four-year, $2.8 million National Institutes of Health grant awarded in 2008 to the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research. The principal investigator is Christine Goertz, DC, PhD, who also serves as Palmer’s vice chancellor for Research and Health Policy.

Co-leaders of the project are M. Ram Gudavalli, PhD, PCCR; Avinash G. Patwardhan, PhD, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine; and Edward Hines, Jr., Veterans Affairs Hospital.

The study—scheduled to run through May 30, 2012—combines the efforts of medical doctors, chiropractors, biomechanists, and clinical researchers to document the effects of the Cox distraction chiropractic procedure on neck pain and develop sham and active treatment parameters for conducting clinical studies.

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Top soccer star credits chiropractic for recovery

2010-12-22T13:54:00.000-08:00

2010 was a difficult year for soccer player Mark Molesley, of the AFC Bournemouth team in England. As his teammates progressed towards the top of the rankings in their NPower League One, the London-born midfielder had to cheer from the stands as he recovered from an injury that has sidelined him since October 2009.

It was back then that he started having pain in his foot, which -- according to Molesley -- "started off feeling like nothing other than a muscle pull but has developed into a nightmare. I was running in training one day and I felt a sensation like my foot had 'locked'."

He played the next game drugged up with painkillers but afterwards couldn't put weight on the foot at all. When the pain remained a few weeks later, the club physiotherapist ordered an x-ray, which revealed a number of stress fractures in his foot. He underwent an injection under general anesthetic into the joint around his navicular bone but it didn't help.

Read the full article here

New Mattress Can Reduce Back Pain and Stiffness

2010-12-13T13:48:00.001-08:00

A study published out of Canada in the winter 2006 issue of the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine shows that sleeping on a new mattress can significantly reduce stiffness and back pain. The study was conducted at Oklahoma State University and is the first of it's kind.

The published report notes that sleep deficiency interferes with daytime activity, social interactions, mood, and even loss of work production resulting in 48 million lost hours of productivity every week due to poor sleep.

In this study researchers looked at a control group of 59 healthy participants (30 women and 29 men) who slept on their own five-plus year-old mattresses for four weeks and then slept on a new bedding system for the same time period. They then analyzed the difference in lower back discomfort, spine stiffness, sleep quality, comfort and efficiency.

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