Tag Archives: chiropractic

Why do so many people use chiropractic for back and neck pain?

Questions and Answers About Chiropractic

Question: Why is chiropractic considered a treatment for back and neck pain by many people?

Answer: It’s a matter of real estate, i.e. location.

Back and Neck Pain

Doctors of Chiropractic work on your spine and structural system in order to release nerve interference or nerve stress (subluxations). We work on that part of the body because that’s where the nerves are. Because chiropractors work on the spine it is assumed we are treating spinal pain. But why do children with asthma, bedwetting and allergies respond to chiropractic care? Why do women with menstrual cramps or those with headaches and migraines respond to chiropractic care? Why is there better sports performance and improved balance, vision and hearing?

That’s because nerves from your spine are like telephone wires connecting your brain to your internal organs, glands, muscles and many other body parts. They need to communicate with no static or interference. However, if your spine has subluxations (distortions affecting nerves), your communication system breaks down, affecting your entire body and that can affect the organs your nerves connect to. See the illustration showing how nerves from the spine (and brain) connect to your organs, etc. Chiropractic is good for your whole body – it’s wholistic.

After all, chiropractic was discovered by DD Palmer when a patient’s hearing returned after a spinal adjustment.

So yes, nerve-muscle-spine (neuromusculoskeletal) pain responds very well to chiropractic adjustments but chiropractors work on the spine to help the whole body. Don’t limit chiropractic care to aches and pains – it can help people in many ways.

Singing, Dancing, Boxing and Chiropractic

Are you a singer?

What do the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Kiss, Neil Diamond, The Who, Madonna, Santana, Guns and Roses and loads of other singers and rock and rollers have in common? T hey receive chiropractic care (often backstage before the performance).

How about coming in and serenading the office while you receive care?

Are you a dancer?

Dancers love chiropractic. Come in and have better balance, control and coordination. Even top companies use chiropractors. How about coming in and dancing for everyone in the office?

Are you a boxer?

Did you know that the world’s greatest boxers see chiropractors? How about coming in to the office and punching somebody? Ooops, forget that. We got carried away. Maybe just sign autographs instead.

How Important is your Health Really?

Do You Really Want To Be Healthy?

There is an old saying, “Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die to get there.”

A similar statement could be made concerning health. In almost any survey taken asking people what they wanted most out of life, good health is one of the top three things on the list.

The only two things that ever top it are usually happiness and good family relationships. Yet how many of us allow other less important things to keep us from attaining maximum health?

Like happiness, health does not come by luck. It is true that hereditary factors are important to good health but most people can be healthy in spite of hereditary weakness. Conversely, hereditary strengths will not overcome a failure to take care of yourself.

A Desire to be Healthy

Most people who come into a chiropractic office indicate a desire to be healthy. Unfortunately, they often do not realize that it will take some effort on their part.

The average person’s experience with medicine has led them to believe that they will be made healthy by what the doctor does to them or what he gives them. They can just sit back, do nothing or at most, remember to take their medication every four hours.

While this approach may be “relatively effective” in the treatment of disease, it has virtually nothing to do with health. For the most part, disease treatment is a passive activity. Health maintenance, or health restoration, is largely an active endeavor. Therein lies the problem.

Sitting back and doing nothing will not promote or maintain health.

Hoping or wishing for it will not make it happen. It must be actively pursued. A choice must be made. Good, nutritious, health-promoting food is available, but then so is junk food. You must make the decision as to what kind you are going to eat and then make the extra effort to get it. Exercise is not a passive activity. You cannot get it by just watching PX90 videos.

Chiropractic is not a passive activity either.

While it is true the patient lies on the table and relaxes, it is the body that makes the adjustment. The chiropractor introduces a force to the spine and the body’s muscles actively move the bone to exactly where it belongs. Further, the benefits of chiropractic care occur after the adjustment, like exercise and eating, they are far reaching and unlike treatments, they are not designed for short-term, immediate effects. It is true you may feel good after eating a good meal or after a good work out. You may also feel good right after a chiropractic adjustment, but the real benefits are the long-term ones. When the body is working better it can actively promote health and well-being and add years to life.

The patient must make the commitment to care.

There is another aspect that makes chiropractic care an active approach. The patient must make the commitment to care. The chiropractor cannot give you a bottle of adjustments and say, “take one every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the next six weeks.”

The patient must make the willful decision to come in, be regular and follow the program. The chiropractor cannot follow you around or take you by the hand.

Do you really want to be healthy?

Sadly, too many people do not want to pay the price, which is time, money and effort. Happiness does not come by accident. Fame and fortune are not a matter of luck. Similarly, you cannot expect to have good health unless you do those things necessary to attain it. Every individual has to establish his or her priorities. Is watching television more important than exercising for your health? Is saving money by eating poor quality food more important to you than spending the few dollars for good food? Is doing whatever you do that interferes with regular adjustments more important than your health? Only you can answer these questions and how you decide on these and other relative questions could very well determine your health, your happiness and your life.

So do you REALLY want to be healthy?

Who Should Go to a Chiropractor?

Is Chiropractic Care for You?

A very simple yet profound question.

The answer is dependent upon one’s concept of the goal of chiropractic. If the goal of chiropractic is to get sick people well, then presumably sick people should go to a chiropractor. If the goal is prevention of sickness, presumably all patients should be on a maintenance program.

Everyone can benefit from Chiropractic Care at some point in their lifetime.

We would like to share the very unique goal of chiropractic as practiced in this office.

We would like to see ALL people, sick or well, young and old, getting their spines checked for vertebral subluxations on a regular basis to allow their bodies to better express all of their life potentials. This would in turn allow each person to get more out of life. In order to understand this concept, one must understand how vertebral subluxation affects the quality of one’s life.

Physiologically, it is known that virtually every expression of life is controlled, at least in part by body chemistry. It is changes in body chemistry that determine our energy level, our ability to resist and recover from disease, our ability to extract nutrients from food, our moods, attitudes, sense of humor, our manual dexterity, and virtually every other expression of life.

Therefore, if anything happens to alter body chemistry it can affect every aspect of one’s life. This is why the law does not allow people to drive after consuming too much alcohol. The alcohol can produce blurred vision, slowed reaction time, poor coordination, and make a generally good driver a menace to society.

Of course the individual reaction to alcohol varies from person to person. Some people become sad, some become happy, some become violent, some silly, and some just fall asleep. All however, seem to suffer from poor judgment and lack of coordination.

Medication is Not Always the Only Solution

Another example would be people who use medication to “treat” a variety of problems. Just look in the Physician Desk Reference (PDR) to see that for every drug listed; side effects which can change you mentally, physically and emotionally. It is easy to understand…

“Vertebral subluxations are, by definition, an interference with the innate control of the body. You cannot have body chemistry in balance when vertebral subluxations are present”

…how altering body chemistry from the outside-in can affect everything we are and everything we can accomplish. In short, it can negatively alter our potential in many different areas.

Imagine if more people knew about this!

What we really desire is to see hundreds of people who are concerned enough about their health to come in regularly with their families to receive adjustments to stay healthy and be the best they can be in life. Imagine if more people knew about this and were getting checked and adjusted. Wouldn’t that be the community you’d want to live in? We hope that it is your desire to be one of these type of people. If there is ever something about chiropractic health care that you do not understand, please ask us. It is our desire and pleasure to make you aware of all the benefits of being subluxation free.

While our potential, or performance levels, may be affected by drugs from the outside, they can also be affected by chemical changes that originate within. Our body is an incredible natural chemical factory. With a chemical reaction needed for virtually every aspect of life, there are countless numbers of chemical reactions occurring constantly. It is the wisdom of the body, innate intelligence, which uses the brain, spinal cord and nerve system as its medium of expression, to control and coordinate the chemical producing organs and glands of the body. Any alteration in the production of chemicals like thyroxin, insulin, adrenaline, cortisone, testosterone, estrogen, and dozens of others (known and unknown) in the body, will produce just as drastic a change as would chemicals administered from the outside-in.

What are Vertebral subluxations?

Vertebral subluxations are, by definition, an interference with the innate control of the body. You cannot have body chemistry in balance when vertebral subluxations are present. When you have an imbalance of body chemistry you are unable to fully express your potential in any number of areas.

It is not our goal to be a “sore back/neck doc”” dealing with neck aches and backaches and referring people out. Every man, woman, and child in our community deserves to know the truth. Chiropractic is not just for backaches, nor is it for cancer. It is not for any particular malady.

Chiropractic is for people! All people!

Chiropractic is for people! All people! There is not a person you will ever meet, who should not have his or her spine checked regularly. It is the goal of this office to share chiropractic with as many people as possible, to allow their bodies to function and perform at a higher level of efficiency. Thus enabling them to more fully express all of their potentials and abilities, and therefore, get more out of their lives.

Researching Chiropractic: Case Studies

Each month we look at case studies where chiropractic care has helped people with different health related problems. Some of them may seem obvious, while others may surprise you. Please pass this along to anyone who may be suffering from any of the following:

High blood pressure
Pervasive developmental disorder
Upper back pain, numbness and “nerve feelings” in the hands (T4 Syndrome)

High blood pressure and chiropractic

A 72-year- old man with a history of hypertension, arthritis, ringing/buzzing in the ears and numbness/burning in his shoulder sought out chiropractic care. He was on blood pressure medication for one year prior to beginning chiropractic care. During this time his blood pressure had decreased from a baseline of 174/94 to 150/90.

He had a history of traumas that included a motor vehicle accident, a fall from a tree, and a twenty-year involvement with Judo. For the next three months the chiropractor located and corrected (adjusted) his vertebral subluxations.

His blood pressure decreased over the course of care to 132/80. Also his emotional/mental state, stress and life enjoyment, based on a self-rated survey, showed improvements in all categories. (1)

Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)

A 33-month- old boy was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). His symptoms included delays in:

Communication
Speech
Cognitive function,
Gross and fine motor skills,
Social and emotional development
Self-help skills

He was also dealing with “fist walking” and bruxism (grinding teeth). He was on ADD medications, antidepressants, anti-seizure and antipsychotic medications to treat his symptoms.

Medically there is no cure.

Chiropractic care consisted of the location and correction of his subluxations. After ten months of care his language
skills had improved greatly and his sensory processing issues had reduced. His mother said, “He seems much more comfortable in his personal space.”

In addition, his bruxism reduced, he was no longer “fist walking” and he had stopped swaying and rocking. His mother reported that he was also beginning to read at a level above his age.

He continues to improve in areas of socializing and continues with chiropractic care. (2)

Upper back pain, numbness and “nerve feelings” in the hands (T4 Syndrome).

A 64-year- old woman was suffering from upper back pain, numbness and strange nerve sensations in her hands. She was diagnosed with T4 Syndrome.

Subluxations were located in the upper back that appeared to affect nerves to the upper limbs. Chiropractic adjustments to reduce subluxations were delivered, and by the fifth visit the patient reported complete remission of upper back pain and hand numbness. (3)

Sources:

Van Dyke V, Russell D, Alcantara J. Resolution of hypertension in a 72-year- old male following subluxation based chiropractic care: a case report & selective review of the literature. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. November 12, 2015:172-177.
Cohn C. Improvement in autism spectrum disorder following vertebral subluxation reduction: a case study. Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic. 2011;3:87-91.
Librone P, Kalantarov E. Resolution of T4 syndrome following chiropractic care: a case report. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. September 29, 2014:161-168.

Can Chiropractic Care help with Colic?

YES! Chiropractic Care helps with colic and infant vomiting

Although a lot of people associate chiropractic with low back, neck and hip problems or headaches and migraines, chiropractic care doesn’t “treat”a particular disease. Rather it corrects a dangerous form of spine/nerve stress called the subluxation. This may be causing an infant’s colic.

Infants may suffer from subluxations as a result of a difficult birth (especially when forceps or vacuum extraction are used) or a fall, in which case the child begins life with subluxations in his/her body and the potential for serious health problems any time in their life.

In fact, any time an infant has any health problems it is essential they be checked for subluxations. We’ve reported on case studies showing that babies and toddlers with colic, projectile vomiting, failure to thrive, sleeping problems, eczema, vision and hearing problems and many other conditions respond to chiropractic care.

Every baby and child should have a chiropractic checkup.

They may not be able to complain about pain or a problem now, but we can locate and correct subluxations in them before they are able to verbalize their problems.

The 3 T’s: Thoughts (mental health and chiropractic)

The Connection Between Mental Health and Chiropractic Care

Dr. Daniel David (DD) Palmer, the discoverer of chiropractic, was a man ahead of his time. He had an impressive library of scientific insights. Drawing from his studies he came to the conclusion that dis-ease (body malfunction) was caused by three T’s: Toxins, Thoughts (mental health) and Trauma.

Today’s scientific community is verifying those profound insights. Last month we discussed toxins. Now let’s look at thoughts.

Thoughts (emotions) are Powerful

The body affects the mind and the mind affects the body. Years ago it was believed our thoughts had no bearing on our health. During the mid-20th century the term psychosomatic illness was used to refer to a few conditions believed to be caused by emotional stress. But that was only just the beginning.

Today, many healers agree that it is rare to find a physical illness that cannot be affected by our emotions and just as impossible to find an emotional illness that has no physical effects. Mind and body interact in all circumstances.

Today the term mind/body or body/mind is used to describe this complex interrelationship.

From a physical standpoint we know that emotional stress affects our hormonal system and our immune system. We also know that physical stress and changes in body chemistry can cause or contribute to changes in brain chemistry.

Life-threatening, even terminal illnesses such as cancer, have been reversed when individuals have had an emotional catharsis or an experience inspiring great hope and optimism. Emotional illness has reversed when people have experienced a physical healing.

The Chiropractic Connection

Chiropractic is a mind/body or body/mind healing art. The mind healing (psychotherapeutic) effects of chiropractic care were observed over a century ago and resulted in the creation of the Clear View and Forest Park Sanitariums devoted to caring for people suffering from mental and emotional disorders such as anxiety, “nervous disorders” (as they were then called) and more severe forms of emotional illness such as schizophrenia.

In fact, over a forty-year period, Doctors of Chiropractic and chiropractic schools operated nearly two hundred hospitals demonstrating that chiropractic care, with proper subluxation correction, along with a nutritious diet, exercise, fresh air and sunlight, had powerful healing effects.

Both Clear View and Forest Park Sanitariums consistently reported greater success than the state mental hospitals. The results so impressed North Dakota circuit court judge A.W. Ponath, that he consistently refused to send a patient to the state mental hospital unless they first spent time in the chiropractic institution. (5)

Why? Because without drugs, surgery (pre-frontal lobotomies) and electric shock therapy, chiropractic promoted real brain health and had a greater healing success rate.

Today chiropractors see many patients suffering from anxiety, depression, addiction, ADD, ADHD, autism and other conditions.

References and research for this article were obtained from the following sources:

1. Regan B, Hirshberg C. Spontaneous Remission: An Annotated Bibiliography. by. Sausalito, CA: Institute of Noetic Sciences, 1993.

2. Quigley WH. Pioneering mental health: institutional chiropractic care. Chiropractic History. 1983;3:68-73.

3. Goff PJ. Chiropractic treatment of mental illness: a review of theory and practice. Research Forum. 1987;4(1):4-10.

4. http://www.chiro.org/Plus/History/Persons/Mental-Health_in_Chiro/Mental_Health&Chiro- chrono.pdf

5. Glenther GC et al. Improvement in depression following reduction of upper cervical vertebral subluxation using orthospinology technique. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research. November 7 2005;1-4.

Chiropractic Case Studies: June 2016

Researching chiropractic case studies

Chiropractic clinical case histories have been a regular feature of our patient newsletter since its inception. There seems to be no limit to the health problems that respond to chiropractic care. How many people suffering, on drugs, facing a life of limitation could be helped by chiropractic care? Probably most of them.

Headaches in a six-year-old

A 6-year-old boy who had been suffering from chronic headaches for the past two years of his life was brought in for chiropractic care.

Medical doctors could not figure out what was causing his headaches. The child was prescribed pain killers (ibuprofen) which were ineffective.

A chiropractic analysis revealed he had subluxations in his upper neck (upper cervical spine) and he began a series of spinal adjustments. After 10 visits over a 2-month period his headaches completely resolved. (1)

From breech to normal birth presentation

A 31-year-old pregnant woman was diagnosed with a transverse breech presentation by her obstetrician when she was 30 weeks pregnant.

She received a special type of chiropractic adjustment known as the Webster Technique that relaxes the pelvis and permits the uterus to expand so the fetus could turn to a healthy presentation for delivery. After 7 visits over 3 weeks of chiropractic care, the patient’s midwife confirmed that the child was no longer in a breech position and had assumed a normal (vertex) presentation. The mother was then able to have a natural home birth. (2)

A five-year-old with sensory modulation disorder and constipation

A 5-year-old girl had a history of birth trauma, developmental delays, sensory processing challenges, sleep difficulties and other functional disorders.

Following chiropractic adjustments, she demonstrated more frequent bowel movements, more-restful sleep, improved mood and improved ability to concentrate and engage with her environment. (3)

Seizures and behavioral disturbances following head trauma

A 2-year-old boy suffering from seizures, behavioral disturbances and cognitive developmental delays following a head trauma was brought to a chiropractic office. Since the accident the boy had 1-3 seizures per week, but occasionally had as many as three seizures a day.

He was also combative, angry, uncooperative with his parents and language delayed. Fifteen months after the trauma the parents sought out chiropractic care for their child.

A chiropractic examination revealed that the boy had a subluxation of the C1 (atlas) vertebra.

He had seven chiropractic visits over 5½ months and was adjusted three times over the course of care. There was improvement and eventual cessation of his seizure activity following the chiropractic care in addition to improvement in his behavior and cognitive development. (4)

Do you know someone who is suffering?

If you know anyone who may be suffering from similar symptoms or problems, please share this article with them. You could help them avoid a life time of difficulty with gentle, non-invasive chiropractic care.

1.Olsen R, Alcantara J. Resolution of chronic cervicogenic headaches in a 6-year-old male following care directed at vertebral subluxations: a case report. Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic. 2014;4:81-86.

2.Drobbin D, La Rosa S. Resolution of transverse breech pregnancy following administration of chiropractic using the Webster Technique: a case study & selective review of literature. Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic. 2015;1:9-14.

3.Yoshimura R, Lathrop JM. Improvement in sensory modulation & functional disorders in a Female pediatric patient undergoing chiropractic care. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. May 5, 2015:108-118.

4.Komarek AJ, Tedder N, Tedder A. Cessation of seizures, behavioral disturbances and improvement in cognitive developmental delay following upper cervical chiropractic care in a 2-year-old: a case report. Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research. May 14, 2015:14-18.

This is What You Were Born For

You are born to live a li

fe of vitality, strength, peace and happiness! It is your birthright, your natural state. That life should be long and full of joy, excitement, pleasure and fulfillment.

But it doesn’t always seem that way. Too many people are not living to their potential; too many people are living lives wracked with physical and mental disease and pain.

Remove Obstacles and Pain

In order to discover physical and mental health you need to remove anything interfering with your proper function.

The chiropractic profession has discovered a serious condition that interferes with your proper function. It is an

internal distortion of your spine and body structure – a subluxation. Subluxations are structural distortions that stress your nervous system – your brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves and related structures.

Subluxations are caused by any stress your body cannot handle: a difficult birth, a fall, an accident, emotional upset, chemical toxicity, overwork, or a combination of stresses (i.e. physical, chemical or emotional stress while you are tired, overworked, malnourished, etc.).

Chiropractic subluxation correction improves your health in many ways.

In over a hundred years of clinical experience, millions of patients have praised chiropractic for helping them with menstrual problems, a more comfortable pregnancy and labor/delivery, ear infections, high blood pressure, fevers, asthma, colic, eczema, headaches, migraines, back pain, arthritis, stress, sleeplessness, dyslexia, vision, learning disorders and so much more.

But it’s more than pain and sickness. Chiropractic is an excellent way to maximize sports performance, improve overall health and enhance balance, strength and fitness.

Subluxations are epidemic in our society; most people have them in their body and don’t know it. For that reason, everyone needs periodic chiropractic checkups to locate and correct (adjust) their subluxations.

Make an appointment to have your spine checked today!

Latest News from Charmaine: June 2016: Changes

Greetings all,

This has been a time of great changes just in the last couple of weeks. What with the children getting out of school…some of them graduating, others moving up a grade level and the deaths of several great icons with whom we all felt a personal connection– it has been a little unsettling.

Making changes to one’s daily overall health regime is generally uncomfortable until we settle into a routine; but in this day and age of such a sedentary lifestyle and very often, our daily job…it become vitally important that we get out and exercise…whether it is walking, running, cycling, yoga or Tai Chi or anything else. We need to keep our joints and spine supple so that we can be as healthy and pain free as possible for as long as possible.

How do you fit in your exercise? What is you favorite thing to do? Let us know in the comments. Who knows, maybe you will inspire someone else to get out there and start moving!