Chiropractic Adjustments Are Shown To Be Most Effective And Least Costly Treatment For Chronic Low Back Pain In Medicare Patients

A study done in conjunction with the Dartmouth School of Medicine has shown that Medicare aged patients with chronic low back pain had better results in reduced apin and increased ability to function with Chiropractic adjustments than with any other treatment studied. Chiropractic care was also the lowest cost treatment option overall, even though it required more treatment visits. Further, the patients with multiple health conditions did even better than those with back pain alone. 

Share the news with someone suffering with chronic pain!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26907615

Disclaimer

Material on this blog is provided for informational purposes only. It is general information that may not apply to you as an individual, and is not a substitute for your own doctor’s medical care or advice.

Reading this blog should not  be construed to mean that you and I have a patient-physician relationship. 

The inclusion of any link does not imply my endorsement of the linked site or its affiliates, 

NEVER DISREGARD MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL CARE BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ ON OR ACCESSED THROUGH THIS WEB SITE.

SLEEPING AS IF IT MATTERS

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. ~Irish Proverb



Almost two thirds of U.S. adults sleep less than 7 hours in a 24-hour period, and are therefore considered sleep deprived. 10% experience chronic insomnia.

Everyone's sleep need vary, but experts estimates for proper sleep are:

Age	Recommended Amount of Sleep
Newborns	16–18 hours a day
Preschool-aged children	11–12 hours a day
School-aged children	At least 10 hours a day
Teens	9–10 hours a day
Adults (including the elderly)	7–8 hours a day

Sleeping less than7 hours per night is associated with the following:

~ Increased risk for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, & stroke.
~ Frequent mental distress
~ A higher death rate
~ Impaired cognitive (brain) performance, which can increase the likelihood of motor vehicle and work accidents.

For helping yourself and your family to get good restful night's sleep:

1. Set a pattern of going to bed at the same time each night and rising at the same time each morning. 2. Making sure that the bedroom environment is quiet, dark, relaxing, and neither too hot nor too cold. 3. Turn off televisions, computers, mobile devices, and distracting or light-emitting electronic devices from the bedroom at least 1 -2 hours before going to sleep. 
4. Avoid large meals, nicotine, alcohol, strenuous exercise, and caffeine for at least 2 and preferably 4 hours before bedtime. A light dinner is helpful for improved sleep and weight control.
5. Go easy on sleep medication. Research studies have shown that they aren't as good as advertised, and can have significant adverse effects such as allergic reactions, impaired cognitive function, increased falls due to balance issues, and long-term users have a higher death rate.
6. Do relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, meditation and/or yoga in the evening before bed.
7.  Use "white noise" devices to block out surrounding environmental noise.
8. There are a number of herbal and natural supplements that might help. Feel free to discuss these with me.


http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6506a1.htm?s_cid=mm6506a1_e
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/howmuch
http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000850
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/new-worries-about-sleeping-pills/?_r=0

Disclaimer

Material on this blog is provided for informational purposes only. It is general information that may not apply to you as an individual, and is not a substitute for your own doctor’s medical care or advice.

Reading this blog should not  be construed to mean that you and I have a patient-physician relationship. 

The inclusion of any link does not imply my endorsement of the linked site or its affiliates, 

NEVER DISREGARD MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL CARE BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ ON OR ACCESSED THROUGH THIS WEB SITE.

UNdoctored Movie: The AMA’s attempt to eliminate Chiropractic

What's amazing is that it's true!

Discover How the American Medical Association has Waged a War Against Chiropractic and the True Benefits They’re Trying to Hide

Undoctored, a new captivating documentary film, tells the story of the struggle to change the public perception and treatment of doctors of chiropractic. With a compelling narrative and a message that will shed light on the issues facing the chiropractic community, this film has the possibility for real impact on the health of patients throughout the world.

Undoctored will be available to view for free for a short time. Go Here:

http://www.undoctoredmovie.com/free-viewing/

How Much Exercise Is Enough?

We all know we should exercise. If there was a pill that could do what exercise does to promote health in the human body it would be prescribed for everyone! The main question has always been about how much exercise we need minimally to get the positive benefits, and how much to get the optimal ones. At what point is doing more no longer better for us?

Two new studies give evidence that the right dose of exercise is as follows:

1. People who did not exercise at all had the highest risk of early death .
2. Those who exercise under 150 minutes of moderate cardio/week had about a 20% less risk of early death. Exercises were things like walking, friendly sets of tennis, gardening, etc.
3. People who did 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise, had a 31 % less risk of dying.
4. Those who did 450 minutes or more/week (an average of over an hour per day)had a 39% less risk of premature death. At this point more exercise didn't significantly increase life expectancy.
5. Those who spent at least 30% of their exercise time (~20-30 minutes of the 150 weekly exercise minutes) in vigorous or strenuous exercise had even greater benefits. These included running, hard sets of tennis, exercise classes, etc.
6. There wasn't an increase in the death rates in those who exercised the most intensely.

http://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions/Multiproduct/lp8QH64.html?articleId=1&WT.mc_id=2016-CPLTEST-FB-MC4-7
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25844730
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25844882

5 Ways Men Can Prevent A Heart Attack

A Swedish study of over 20,000 men ages 45-79 found five “low risk behaviors” that can substancially reduce the risk of heart attack (myocardial infarction – MI). “Low-risk behavior included 5 factors:

A healthy diet
Moderate alcohol consumption
No smoking
Being physically active
Having no abdominal fat (waist circumference less than 95 cm or 37 1/2”).”

Researchers note that “this combination of healthy behaviors, present in 1% of the men, could prevent 79% of the MI events on the basis of the study population.”

Low-risk diet and lifestyle habits in the primary prevention of myocardial infarction in men: a population-based prospective cohort study.

Akesson A, Larsson SC, Discacciati A, Wolk A.

J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014 Sep 30;64(13):1299-306. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2014.06.1190.

Dr Graber On The Road

Spending today in Galloway, New Jersey teaching fellow Chiropractors techniques for helping patients with dizziness, vertigo, and balance disorders.

Surgery Often Not Needed For Spinal Stenosis

A recent study showed that people over 50 with Spinal Stenosis do as well with non-surgical care as surgery. 

Patients who met the criteria of surgery were divided into 2 groups, one treated with surgery and the other treated with exercise and hands-on treatments. After 2 years the surgical group was no better than the ones who didn't have surgery.

Our practice uses a combination of non-surgical treatments for people with spinal stenosis. These include Chiropractic adjustments, spinal mobilization, traction, exercise, and nerve glides.

Surgery Versus Physical Therapy for Treating Lumbar Spinal Stenosis. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:I-32. doi:10.7326/P15-9009
http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2214174

Whiplash Injured People Still Suffer For Years After The Accident

A recent study followed  people with had whiplash injuries (neck sprain or neck  from a car accident to find out how they were doing physically in their quality of life. While whiplash injuries are looked upon as minor, compared to bone fractures, herniated discs, or dislocations, the findings suggest that the ongoing pain and disability is anything but minor.

Compared to others who did not have a whiplash, they found 5 years after the accident that whiplash patients:

Have twice as much neck pain of non-whiplash patients.
25% have headaches related to the accident.
Had worse overall physical and psychological health.
Those with more severe injuries were worse.

The damage from whiplash, or any neck injury, can linger on long after the damage was done. Proper treatment and ongoing self-care is needed to recover as fully as possible, and to maintain and manage good health.



Five Years after the accident, whiplash casualties still have poorer quality of life in the physical domain than other mildly injured casualties: analysis of the ESPARR cohort.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4702400/

The Right Way To Warm Up

Don't stretch to warm-up before exercise.

At least no the way most of us were taught. The best way to prepare for your favorite sport or activity is to get your blood moving with light cardio, followed by dynamic stretching. 

Dynamic stretching is slowly moving through a range of motion slowly, contracting the muscles opposite of those your lengthening. Starting with small movements and moving onto larger full body ones. Eventually, you'll do movements specific to your sport or activity.

The NY Times has a great article on this:

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/sports/playmagazine/112pewarm.html?mwrsm=Facebook&_r=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com

Here's a good video demonstrating some movements:
http://www.nytimes.com/video/sports/playmagazine/1194830066044/stretching-the-truth.html

Former NFL Superstar Jim McMahon Finds Relief From Chronic Pain By A Long Island Chiropractor

Former NFL Superstar Jim McMahon has been ravaged by injuries and head trauma. Chiropractic treatment on his neck has helped improve his quality of life. What amazes me is that all the focus of his chronic conditions was on his head. Almost every concussion has a upper neck injury associated with it, especially the multiple head injuries he has had.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/li-doctors-help-jim-mcmahon-get-his-life-back-and-they-can-help-others-too-1.9493358

Video interview clip:

http://abc7chicago.com/1177783/

The Best and Healthiest Ways To Make Coffee!

For all you Java lovers!

1. Choose Organic: Coffee beans are one of the most heavily sprayed crops with pesticides. So, you should select only coffee beans that are certified organic. Whenever possible, purchase sustainable "shade-grown" coffee. 
2.  Whole Bean: You'll want to purchase whole bean coffee that smells and tastes fresh, not stale. Grind it yourself to prevent rancidity as pre-ground coffee may be rancid.
3. Drink it Black: Coffee is best if you drink it  black, without sugar or flavorings. If you do add sugar, use no more than one teaspoon. Try using Coconut sugar or raw sugar, which are better than white sugar.
4. Coffee Filters: If you use a "drip" coffee maker, be sure to use non-bleached filters. The bright white ones are chlorine-bleached, and some of this chlorine will leach from the filter during the brewing process. 
5. Coffee Mugs: Please be careful about the container you use. Avoid plastic cups as the BPA will leach into your drink, and also avoid Styrofoam cups that can leach polystyrene molecules. Your best bets include glass and ceramic travel mugs.
6. Brew your coffee using pure or filtered water. Use the following link to see how to best use the various brewing methods:

http://greatist.com/eat/the-healthiest-coffee-brew-method

Hands-on Treatment Repairs and Prevents Muscle and Connective Tissue Damage

Recent research studies have confirmed again what I've seen in practice for over 3 decades. Hands-on treatment, such as friction massage, myofascial and active release, mobilization, and other soft-tissue techniques we use in the office, help prevent and repair overuse conditions.

Overuse conditions, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and scar tissue formation are prevented and reduced by these types of hands-on (manual) therapies.

We also use the cutting edge soft-tissue therapy that use special tools, such as FAKTR to help the more stubborn cases.


http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/01/mechanical-stimulation-shown-to-repair-muscle/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26810536

Herniated Discs Can Heal

A recent study has found that low back herniated discs (LDH) can heal without surgery. This is the first study to investigate changes in the size of LDHs, and disc heights over a significant period of time (8 years). Only 12.5% became worse, most remained unchanged or decreased. The findings encourage those who suffer from a herniated disc not to rush into surgery. 

Our office treats patients with herniated discs non-surgically with hands-on manipulation, special traction therapies, and disc-reduction exercises.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4714478/