Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Chiro Thots
When I told him I am a chiropractor, he reacted with a surprised laugh and said, “Arrogant? You’re calling ME arrogant? There isn’t a group in the world that’s more arrogant than you chiropractors! You ALL believe that everyone needs to see a chiropractor, so how is that different than me saying everyone needs medicine?!” I replied that medicine is based upon the idea that nature gave us bodies that are inherently weak and defective, prone to illness and injury. This means we require some kind of help from the outside (i.e., medicine) to survive. This is known as “Outside-In” thinking.
I continued by explaining that chiropractic is based upon the vitalistic idea that we are born with everything we need to be strong, healthy and happy – that health is our natural state, and if we are experiencing anything other than health, it’s usually because we have lost something we need to maintain our natural and innate state of balance, harmony and ease. This is the opposite of what medical science says, and is known as “Inside-Out” thinking. It isn’t arrogant to accept, embrace and celebrate your innate health potential, and there is nothing arrogant about stating the truth about how our bodies work, and showing people how to fully allow the well being that is theirs by rite of birth. “It’s really easy to understand why we say everyone needs a chiropractor, I continued, “May I explain?” “OH, by all MEANS, please enlighten us doctor!” he replied sarcastically.
“It is important to understand that your body never stays the same; every single day it either gets a little stronger or a little weaker. In other words, two processes are always happening in your body; the process of growing and the process of dying. But one of these two processes is always stronger than the other so that your overall movement each day is either toward growing (getting stronger) or dying (getting weaker). If you want to make sure you are getting stronger each day instead of weaker, you need 3 things; a positive focus, a healthy lifestyle and a clear neurological connection between your brain and your body.” “OK,” he said, “But where does the chiropractic come in?”
I continued, “Because your spine and your nerve system are so intimately connected, you must have an aligned and fully functioning spine in order to maintain a clear brain-body CONNECTION! So you see, that’s why we say everyone needs a chiropractor! Everyone wants to grow stronger and healthier every day, regardless of how healthy they are right now. And chiropractic helps you do that by keeping your spine aligned and functioning, and allowing your brain and body to be fully connected!”
“So why are you here in my pharmacy today?” He asked angrily. “I needed to get a Band-Aid so I can keep my cut clean while my body heals itself from the inside out,” I said with a smile. “DON’T YOU HAVE AN OFFICE SOMEWHERE YOU NEED TO GET TO?!” He fumed as he walked away.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Upper Cervical Chiropractic Management of a Multiple Sclerosis Patient: A Case Report [May 2001, Vol 4, No.2]
Erin L. Elster, D.C.
Abstract - This article reviews the upper cervical chiropractic care of a single patient
with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This 47-year-old female first experienced symptoms of
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) at age 44, when she noticed cognitive problems and loss of
bladder control. After viewing multiple lesions on MRI (MS plaques), her neurologist
diagnosed her with MS. Two years later, she noticed additional symptoms of leg
weakness and paresthesias in her arms and legs. Her symptoms progressively
worsened without remission, so her neurologist categorized her as having chronic
progressive MS and recommended drug therapy (Avonex).
Upon initial examination of this patient, evidence of an upper cervical subluxation
was found using precise upper cervical radiographs and paraspinal digital infrared
imaging. The patient’s medical history included one possible mechanism (a fall
approximately ten years prior), which could have caused her upper cervical
subluxation. The patient was placed on a specially designed knee-chest table for
adjustment, which was delivered by hand to the first cervical vertebra according to
radiographic findings.
Monitoring of the patient’s progress was through doctor’s observation, patient’s
subjective description of symptoms, thermographic scans, neurologist’s evaluation
and MRI. The patient was managed with upper cervical chiropractic care for two
years.
After four months of upper cervical chiropractic care, all Multiple Sclerosis ( MS)
symptoms were absent. A follow-up MRI showed no new lesions as well as a
reduction in intensity of the original lesions. After a year passed in which the patient
remained asymptomatic, another follow-up MRI was performed. Once again, the MRI
showed no new lesions and a continued reduction in intensity of the original lesions.
Two years after upper cervical chiropractic care began, all MS symptoms remained
absent.
This case report revealed that this specific upper cervical procedure (thermal
imaging, cervical radiographs, and knee-chest adjustments) was associated with a
successful outcome for a patient with Multiple Sclerosis. Post MRI’s, post
thermographic scans, and the patient’s neurologist’s evaluation all suggested the
intervention of upper cervical chiropractic care may have stimulated a reversal in the
progression of Multiple Sclerosis.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Monday, October 19, 2009
Autism Statistics
-4:1 ratio of boys to girls
-1 in 58 boys
-Fastest growing developmental disability
-More than 100 billion in estimated annual costs
-In ten years the annual costs are projected at 200-400 billion.
-Cost of lifelong care can be reduced by 2/3rds with early intervention
-A family with a child with autism will fund 3 to 5 million dollars of services throughout the lifetime of the child.
-More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than cancer, diabetes, Downs Syndrome and AIDS combined.
-Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of most of the more prevalent childhood disorders.
-Approximately 1 million individuals in the US have autism
-The fastest growing genetic disorders increase at an approximate rate of 1% per 100 years. Autism is growing at a much greater rate.
|
Condition | Incidence | Private Funding |
Pediatric AIDS | 1 in 8,000 | 394 Million |
Leukemia | 1 in 25,000 | 310 Million |
Muscular Dystrophy | 1 in 20,000 | 175 Million |
Juvenile Diabetes | 1 in 500 | 130 Million |
Autism | 1 in 150 | 42 Million |
The November/December 2003 issue of the magazine "Autism Digest" contained an interesting article on the subject of Autism and the effect of chiropractic care on those children. The article was authored by world known chiropractor for children, Dr. Joan Fallon. In her article she notes, "While it has regularly been associated with back pain or headache, increasing numbers of parents are seeking chiropractors for children and especially for children with developmental issues."
The article starts off by noting that Temple Grandin, an author of two books on autism, is herself autistic. The article notes that in her books she repeatedly discusses sensory integration difficulties as being the core of her autism. Additionally, a growing numbers of professionals also tout sensory difficulties as one of the hallmarks of autism.
Dr. Fallon describes this phenomenon by saying, "Sensory integration is defined as the disorganization of the multisensory input into the body. People who experience sensory integration problems have profound and often debilitating difficulty with touch, taste, smell, sound or visual input. Non-autistics can often experience sensory issues as well, such as the irritation we feel from a band playing too loudly, or an immediate headache from a certain smell. While these may be bothersome to the typical person, such sensory stimuli can be “noxious” to the autistic child and often manifest in infancy as colic and in the older child as hyperactivity, the “inability to listen”, or unexplained behavior issues, especially in children who lack communication."
The article continues by stating that Chiropractic care should be the cornerstone of the sensory integration treatment plan for the Autistic child. Dr. Fallon notes, "Chiropractic care differs from many of the other therapies used with autistics in that it is directed to the heart of the problem: the lack of homeostasis in the body, which can, in turn, produce a disease state. Treatments are directed to the imbalances in the nervous system which inhibit sensory processing. By directly affecting the nervous system, chiropractic care for the autistic child can begin to change the many sensory integration issues by facilitating input into the organs and areas of the body involved in sensory integration, including the skin and the nervous system."
The article then explains that the imbalances in the nervous system are caused by "Subluxations" in the spine. "The presence of Subluxation can cause illness as well as a host of other problems for the child," contends Dr. Fallon. "The chiropractor administers an adjustment as the mainstream portion of care. The adjustment is administered in areas where there is the presence of a SUBLUXATION. Subluxation occurs where a segment of the spine consisting of two vertebrae and a disc between them, has lost their juxtaposition. Proper juxtaposition is necessary to maintain the integrity of the various systems that are located there, not the least of which is the nervous system."
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Truth About Chiropractic, And How it is Widely Misunderstood
The most frequent response to my answer of what I do for a living is after I respond, "I am a chiropractor!" that person then grabs his or her neck or back and says, "Oh Doc, I need ya!" If I have your permission I would like to tell you about the truth of chiropractic and how as a society we have not understood what a true gift it is.
There was a great philosopher named Hippocrates who once stated, "We are either growing or dying." Not to be outdone Confucius stated, "Our lives are like that of an egg, we are either growing or decaying." See, everyday we are exposed to chemical, physical and mental stressors in our environment that continually bombard our system. It is the job of our nerve system to detect these stressors, interpret them, and either adapt to them and continue our growth or shrink from them and stop growing while in a survival or protective mode.
See, in essence we are both growing and dying each day and it is simply that one will predominate over the other. One is an upward spiral of growth leading to fulfillment and ease; the other is a downward spiral of decay leading to death.
Our Bodies’ Innate Intelligence
Our bodies have an inborn intelligence that is called innate intelligence. This intelligence runs, regulates, heals and grows the body to our fullest potential, allowing us to reach our god-given purpose in life. There are many things you must have to accept in understanding the full breadth of chiropractic: either we are on this earth from the grace of a higher consciousness, or we are simply the random assimilation of organic substance that has evolved over many years making us nothing more than a higher order of mud.
If you have a live person and a dead person side by side, what is the difference? They both have all the same stuff, the same potential for life, however in chiropractic understanding it is the live one that possesses an innate intelligence or life force. See, most people look at the body as being run and regulated by the brain, but let me ask you, "What runs the brain?" There are those who think genes dictate life, but we know that they turn off and on regularly even mutating and adapting, so I ask, "What turns genes on or off?"
For a hundred years chiropractors have been saying that there is an inborn intelligence that is perfect inside of us that continually gives 100 percent of the information we need to run, regulate, grow, heal and flourish. They have been saying that ill health, disease, and lack of potential does not arise from any other cause than that of a lack of expression of this intelligence.
The Expression of Light or Darkness
This lack of expression leads to dis-coordination of the body or a lack of a body’s ability to comprehend itself in its own environment. That leads to a lack of the body being able to adapt to outside stressors and this causes a loss of function, breakdown of tissue and is a downward spiral of decay and ultimately death.
If we look at the full expression of this inborn innate intelligence being the fullest expression of life as light we can look at the lack of this expression of intelligence as decay or disease and as darkness. So, how do you remedy darkness? You can study darkness, examine it, qualify it, be aware of it and focus on it, but the only solution to removal of it is to add light.
Chiropractic understands this premise and does not look to cure disease, address disease or diagnose disease. We understand disease for what it truly is, a lack state, one that arises only in the absence of the fullest expression of life.
The Subluxation Process
Chiropractic is the detection and correction of interference with the expression of this intelligence in relation to the spine called the subluxation process. The primary system for the expression of this innate intelligence is over our nerve system, and being that our spinal cord is surrounded and protected by spinal bones called vertebrae, this important relationship is how chiropractors became synonymous with backs.
However, in truth chiropractic deals with the innate intelligence and the nerve system, and a chiropractor is not a doctor of the spine, especially not spinal disorders, decay nor disease.
As a chiropractor the only conclusion that I can with any degree of certainty make is that your body is better off with a clear nerve system than one with interference. Chiropractors are trained and are the only practitioners who have the philosophy and the technique to find that interference and to assist in correcting it.
Anything that is beyond the detection and correction of the subluxation process is usually regarded by the allopathic or medical mindset that we are not whole and need something outside ourselves to help us to heal or grow. It is assumed that the first thing we need is an outside intelligence that looks at us to tell us what we need, be it ultrasound, electrical stim, pharmaceuticals, supplements, etc.
See, we need to go back to our original thought process and question, "If there is a practitioner who directs the energy where they think it needs to go, how does that honor an individual’s inborn innate intelligence?" Doesn't innate intelligence know what is needed, where and how much? How does an application of ultrasound to a mid-back honor that process?
It is that in our society where sitting for five minutes in a drive-through seems like an eternity. It’s a society where commercials bombard you five to seven times in three minutes and that problems are resolved in three eight-minute segments on a television program. To then have someone shift and comprehend that all of life, including healing, is a process and that being under care is also a lifetime process can be a challenge.
You might want to ask yourself, if you start to exercise because it is good for you, when do you get to a point when you can stop? How about brushing your teeth? Eating vegetables and other healthy foods? You can always choose to stop doing those things and that is not a bad thing, it is just not congruent with the fullest expression of your life's potential.
The Effects of Nerve System Interference
So chiropractic care is a process that gives its greatest rewards over a lifetime and starts with your getting checked to see how much the subluxation process is interfering with your nerve system and your life. We automatically say, "Yeah, but I feel fine," however, symptoms are the last thing to show up in a process and therefore the worst possible way to judge your life's expression.
We all know or have heard of someone who has dropped dead from a heart attack and never showed the smallest sign of that process, yet we know that cardiovascular disease is a process that occurs over decades. Diabetes is said to be at epidemic proportions mostly due to there being no obvious signs until the process has gone rampant for years.
Or look at tooth decay, a process that occurs for years by the time you feel any pain or sensitivity. And haven't you heard of someone getting checked out and to their surprise they had a 99 percent blockage in their coronary arteries only to get immediate and drastic open heart surgery with basically no sign or symptoms before that?
Please understand that these things are just an example of processes that are a function of our fundamental disconnection with the understanding of life, health and being out of touch with our self. These disease processes are all low end on the spectrum and in reality are not what I am talking about when I speak of possibility. It is not enough to live just not to die, to be alive with no symptoms or to never need a surgery. I do not believe that is why god put us here on this planet.
We Are All Meant to Flourish and Grow
I believe we all have a purpose, and we are all meant to flourish, grow and reach our optimum potentials. You see, you cannot be in fear and love at the same time; you cannot be in survival mode and growth at the same time. I know we are meant to live in love and growth and honor the gift of grace always, all of the time.
To me, it is impossible to accomplish this with a nerve system that is compromised--one that disconnects the creator from the creation and allows a little less life in us each and every day that it remains. So, from a person who has searched as a chiropractor for the meaning of our profession for the last 10 years, a person who has seen thousands of patients, read hundreds of books, listened to dozens of tapes and lecturers, please get checked.
Get checked for the subluxation process; get your families checked, your friends, your loved ones or anyone you care about. Even the people you don't care about, mention it to them, as maybe it is the subluxation process that is preventing them from their fullest expression of love and happiness. You never know, with a clear nerve system anything becomes possible.
Chiropactic Care for Maurice Jones Drew
Maurice is a great example of what it takes to get everything out of your body. He does all the little things. Not only does Chiropractic keep his spine aligned, but these adjustments can free any nerve interference his body has which allows proper communication from his brain to his muscles and back to the brain optimally in order to recover to his upmost ability.
When your body is free of interference it is able to self-develop, self-maintain, and self heal by its own INNATE INTELIGENCE!
Get Moving!
The maximum number of hours sitting at work during a 24-hour period and the maximum number of hours sitting at work without getting up, were both linked to an increased risk for the development of blood clots in the legs…a condition known as VTE (venous thromboembolism). For every additional hour seated, the risk increased by 10%, and for every additional hour seated at work without getting up, the risk increased by 20%.
The study’s co-author, Professor Richard Beasley at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand concluded that, “measures to reduce both of these factors may be important from an occupational health perspective.”
Here are their recommendations:
• Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water and avoid over-consumption of alcohol and caffeine.
• Wear loose clothing that does not restrict the waist or legs.
• Flex and extend the ankles regularly while sitting to encourage blood in the veins of the lower legs to continue flowing.
• Stand up and move around at least once every hour, and try to restrict total sitting to less than eight hours per day.
BOTTOM LINE: According to the Ethnicity and Disease study cited above, “exercise, as part of a comprehensive lifestyle-modification program including weight loss, low-salt diet, diets rich in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fats, has beneficial effects on blood pressure. This is what we’ve been saying for years…the cause and solution to most health problems is more related to lifestyle than to treatment. Why wait for a problem, change to a healthier lifestyle now!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Chiropractic plays major role in US men's water polo team sivler medal win
CARMICHAEL, Calif., Oct 02, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Merrill Moses, goal keeper for the U.S.A. Men's Water Polo team, and his teammates took home silver medals from Beijing this year. Terry Schroeder, D.C., a standout from the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympics helped Moses and his teammates as the current head coach of the Men's Water Polo team and resident doctor of chiropractic. While they were considered underdogs in this year's games, the team pulled together to achieve silver medal victory in a match against Hungary, and Moses and teammates attribute much of their success to the role that chiropractic played in their performance.
"I can honestly say that without chiropractic, many Olympic athletes would not be able to perform to their potential," says Moses. "We take such a pounding on our bodies, especially in water polo, because it's a contact sport. I like to get a chiropractic adjustment everyday just to keep my body healthy."
Moses, who is 31 years old, 6'3", and 215 pounds, was playing at the top of his game this year, an achievement which he attributes to the four practicing Olympic Committee team chiropractors in the Olympic Village as well as Schroeder, who treated Moses and other team members throughout the games.
"Athletes know that the difference between winning and losing can be a matter of fractions," says Schroeder. "When looking for that edge, chiropractic often makes all the difference."
To help this year's team to victory, Schroeder drew on his chiropractic knowledge and his experience as a two-time Olympic silver medalist in water polo. He was inducted into the U.S.A. Water Polo Hall of Fame in 1998. A statue of Schroeder's likeness sits at the entrance to the Los Angeles Coliseum commemorating the 1984 Olympics. He is noted for turning this team around by encouraging teamwork and vigorous training only months prior to the Beijing Olympic Games.
Moses plans to follow in his coach's footsteps by attending chiropractic college and earning his Doctor of Chiropractic degree. His interest in chiropractic stems from a passion for helping others. He believes chiropractic helps those who cannot physically excel, including many of the Olympic athletes who participated in this year's games.
"I believe that chiropractic is going to continue to be of growing importance in the Olympic world," concludes Schroeder.
SOURCE: Foundation for Chiropractic Progress
Goals For Moe Chiropractic Blog
Chiropractic Care for Children Receives More Press
Two recent news articles feature chiropractic care for general wellness and for children. One article from the August 28, 2003 Press & Sun Bulletin from Binghamton NY, starts off by featuring 5-year-old Michael Smolinsky as he receives his chiropractic adjustment. Michael’s mother Joanne, noted that her son started seeing Dr. McAulliffe three years ago because, after nine months of chronic ear infections, she didn’t know where to turn. All of the pediatricians and ear, nose and throat doctors she took her son to couldn’t figure out what was wrong and just kept prescribing medication that didn’t seem to help.
“It concerned me,” Joanne Smolinsky said. “How much medicine can you put into a 2-year-old child?” She then recalled that doctors suggested putting tubes in Michael’s ears to drain excess fluids. The idea of putting her son under anesthesia scared her, and after talking to her chiropractor she decided to give chiropractic a shot. Her medical doctors didn’t support the idea, so she couldn’t get a referral for insurance purposes. After receiving chiropractic every six weeks for three years, Michael has had only one ear infection in that time. He also experienced the same good results with dizzy spells that he had been previously having.
Another article featured in the August 18, 2003 Star Online News of North Carolina, starts off by saying, “In recent years, chiropractors nationwide have been increasingly successful in beating the “back-pain only” rap with statistics and growing testimonials about chiropractic care’s benefits, for everything from stress and fatigue to sinus trouble and asthma. And whether young or old, folks in Southeastern North Carolina, too, are making use of what’s renewing itself as one of the hottest trends in healthcare.”
This story highlighted 3-year-old Christian Kent of Leland. When Christian was a mere 6 months old, he developed recurring ear infections. These ear infections would clear up with medicine, but they would always return. After a year and numerous trips to an ear, nose and throat specialist, it was determined that at a year and a half old, he needed tubes in his ears. Cindy Kent, Christian’s mother remembers her initial reaction, “I thought, ‘Oh no’.” she then continued. “Instead, we brought him to the chiropractor and after six adjustments, the ear infection was gone.”
“People should be focused on correcting the root of the problem,” said Dr. Reese, a chiropractor interviewed for the article. “This is not an alternative, but its own distinct form of health care. People should have a chiropractor, just like they should have a doctor, a dentist or a mechanic.”
(If you have any questions, please leave a message and I can hopefully help or refer you to a local Chiropractor who specializes with children)
Chiropractic Care May Help Children With Learning Disorders And Dyslexia
The above is a headline from a January 20, 2007 article published in the online Medical News Today. The story, and a similar one dated January 18th published by United Press International, is based on research that came out January 15, 2007 in the scientific periodical The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR). The study suggests that chiropractic care may offer significant benefits to children suffering from learning disabilities and dyslexia.
The author of the JVSR study was a Swiss chiropractor Dr. Yannick Pauli, who is the president of the Swiss Chiropractic Pediatric Association, and who specializes in the care of children suffering from learning and behavioral disorders. Dr. Pauli explained, “This review critically assessed eight previously published studies involving a total of 160 children. He continued, “Although the results remain preliminary and more research is needed, the evidence strongly suggests that chiropractic care may help various cognitive abilities that are essential to learning.”
The study notes that between 3-10% of the school-age population in the United States is considered learning disabled. Some experts claim that the figure is closer to 20% of school age children. According to Dr. Pauli, “The main aim of this literature review was to investigate the clinical evidence for the effect of chiropractic care in people suffering from learning disorders and dyslexia.”
Dr. Pauli explained, “What appears from our review is that the chiropractor is not so much interested in the cure of the disorder itself, but rather in the correction of an underlying Central Nervous System dysfunction assumed to underlie the disorder(s) affecting the patient” He explained the connection of chiropractic care to learning disabilities by saying, “The only source of constant stimulation to the brain comes from the spine and the postural muscles constantly adjusting to the force of gravity. If the daily physical stresses of life cause misalignments in the spine — called vertebral subluxations by chiropractors — the brain is not adequately stimulated. This can cause problems throughout the body.”
Dr. Matthew McCoy, a chiropractor and editor of JVSR, remarked, “This study is an exciting first step. It shows the beneficial effect of chiropractic care and may offer hope for thousands of suffering children.”
(If you have any questions, please leave a message and I can hopefully help or refer you to a local Chiropractor who specializes with children)
Serving Since 1895
Today marks the 114th year since the first Chiropractic adjustment. With that being stated, there is no better time than now to persue Chiropractic care. Our world is sicker than ever, and we are spending more on health care than ever. There is no excuse not to address the cause of disease in order to prevent further problems. Not only will humanity be healthier, but our debt will be cut drastically.
If you need help finding a Chiropractor, just ask……
The Big Idea of Chiropractic
A slip on the snowy sidewalk in winter is a small thing. A fall from a ladder in the summer is a small thing. It also happens to millions. The slip or fall produces a subluxation. The subluxation is a small thing. The subluxation produces pressure on a nerve. That pressure is a small thing. That decreased flowing produces a dis-eased body and brain. That is a big thing to that man.
Multiply that sick man by a thousand, and you control the physical and mental welfare of a city. Multiply that man by one hundred thirty million, and you forecast and can prophesy the physical and mental status of a nation. So the slip or fall, the subluxation, pressure, flow of mental images, and dis-ease are big enough to control the thoughts and actions of a nation.
Now comes a man. And one man is a small thing. This man gives an adjustment. The adjustment is a small thing. The adjustment replaces the subluxation. This is a small thing. The adjusted subluxation releases pressure upon nerves. That is a small thing. The released pressure restores health to a man. This is a big thing to that man.
Multiply that well man by a thousand, and you step up the physical and mental welfare of a city. Multiply that well man by a million, and you increase the efficiency of a state. Multiply that well man by a hundred thirty million, and you have produced a healthy, wealthy, and better race for posterity. So, the adjustment of the subluxation to release nerve pressure upon nerves, to restore mental impulse flow, to restore health, is big enough to rebuild the thoughts and actions of the world.
The idea that knows the cause of health, that can correct the cause of dis-ease, is one of the biggest ideas known. Without it, nations fall; with it, nations rise.
B.J. Palmer, Developer of Chiropractic