There's a brand-new study, due to be published in the prestigious journal Spine, entitled Does maintained spinal manipulation therapy for chronic non-specific low back pain result in better long term outcome? It has been repeatedly demonstrated that chiropractic adjustments positively impact injuries in the short run, but there has been a lack of research regarding long-term care. Many chiropractic patients continue to visit their chiropractor once a month, even after the acute phase of their injury is over, but do those infrequent visits do any good?
The answer is a resounding yes. This particular study used three groups of patients: a placebo group, another group which received 12 visits during four weeks of care, and a third group which received those same 12 visits plus additional follow-up care on a biweekly basis. As expected, the two groups who received adjustments noted marked improvement over the placebo group. But, interestingly, over a ten-month period of time, the group which only received initial acute care failed to maintain their gains in function and reduced pain. In fact, by the end of the study, that group had backslid to their initial pre-treatment pains! In other words, they would have had to undergo a whole new course of acute treatment in order to gain relief again. In contrast, the "maintenance care" group which continued to receive biweekly adjustments not only maintained their post-acute treatment status regarding pain, they continued to improve over time. To quote the article abstract directly: "To obtain long-term benefit, this study suggests maintenance spinal manipulations after the initial intensive manipulative therapy." There is a wise adage regarding health and wellness: "If you're not moving, you're dying." Your body is going to continue to improve, or it's going to decline. The body, being a dynamic being full of life and vitality, never remains static. Just as the best exercise is regular exercise, so the path to health is marked by regular intervals. The study participants who failed to continue their adjustments also failed to continue their health improvements. This is a very important study, and I hope that further studies are pursued on this issue to confirm these findings. Time is sometimes a cruel mistress, but at least she's a predictable one. The good news for patients is two-fold: 1) it is much easier to maintain or improve an already healthy nervous system than to attempt to repair or restore an injured one; 2) maintenance or wellness care is usually much less expensive in the long run than recurrent episodes of aggressive care for the acute patient.
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I enjoy using the Activator to adjust patients because of its versatility, durability, reliability, and gentleness. I know that every time I engage the spring-action inside the Activator, the resulting thrust is going to be ultra-fast, ultra-gentle, and the exact same velocity and amplitude as the last time I engaged it. In other words, the Activator never gets tired. The spring may get worn out (after 100,000 adjustments), but at the end of a given day, the adjustive thrust is exactly the same as the first adjustment of the morning. The following video by Arlan Fuhr, D.C., provides a brief but thorough explanation of exactly how the Activator instrument works. By choosing different tensions on the springs, the doctor can ensure enough force for the sturdy lumbar vertebrae but delicate force for the smaller cervical vertebrae. When the vertebrae subluxate, they quite literally move slightly out of proper alignment with either the vertebra above or below. Choosing the right amount of force ensures that the Activator can nudge the vertebrae back into place. The small rubber tip of the Activator also guarantees that the forces are only locally introduced, resulting in the intended effect. A larger tip would dissipate the force over a broad area.
When using the Activator, it is the doctor's responsibility to maintain a proper angle of use to affect a single vertebrae. Each vertebra has its own tendencies of movement, and its own unique architecture in relation to the neighboring bones, nerves, and muscles. Even an Activator thrust applied to the correct vertebrae but at the wrong angle will likely have no effect. This is why a doctor's knowledge of anatomy is so crucial to gaining your desired results. Thus, an Activator provides an exact amount of force at an exact amount of speed in a precise location in a precise direction. Phew! So that's how it works. Chiropractic is like cotton candy. It's meant to be shared. I mean, all that fluffy goodness on a stick? Eventually the sticky sweetness evolves into a community event as all your friends, neighbors, and low-flying planes each swoop in to take a bite. And you wouldn't have it any other way!
I couldn't tell you how many times I hear those six little words, "Oh, that feels so much better." It's a thrill every time relief is experienced and health is restored. But I'm not the person who needs to hear about it: the rest of your community, the rest of Peoria needs to hear it. I already know the power and potential of the chiropractic adjustment, the gentleness of the Activator, the restoration of long-forgotten activities, the resolution of a chronic problem. I see these situations every day! The best compliment any patient can give their doctor is to tell someone else, "Oh, that feels so much better." And who is that someone else? Who needs to hear it? Who in your life needs to be able to say those same six words? Who else needs the relief of the Activator adjustment? Your spouse, children, parents, friends, neighbors, students, teachers, co-workers, acquaintances? What do I see as a compliment? Every referral to Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria is the biggest possible compliment. These blog posts are tweeted and reposted around the internet. Comments are left by thoughtful readers. These web pages are bookmarked to Delicious and liked on Facebook. These are all wonderful compliments for which I am deeply grateful. To your health! Thank you. If it's one of those temporary "donut" spares, it's meant to get you off the road and to the nearest service station for proper repair ASAP. The manufacturer's instructions warn you to take it slow and easy when driving there too. Those small, cheap spare tires aren't designed to withstand the heat and loading of normal driving -- or even less-than-normal driving for extended periods. But regardless of that warning, you've probably seen some knuckle head speeding on the highway with one, oblivious to the potential danger. Some people treat their health that way. When they get an injury or a health problem they mask their symptoms with "spare tire" medication, all the while continuing the activities that got them there in the first place. They pay little attention to the risks of temporarily patching their problem with drugs and pass on fixing the CAUSE of their problem. Sooner or later that will get you into trouble. When it comes to acute or chronic health problems, the best policy is to fix the underlying cause of the problem the right way instead of masking the symptoms with medication. That's the core philosophy of drugless Chiropractic care. In the short term drugs may bring you false comfort, but in the long run you're risking a serious blow out. Content provided by Principle33. Government documents are rarely produced overnight. They go through herculean processes of committee outlining, writing, committee reviewing, rewriting, committee oversight, public relations committees, rewriting, etc. All that said, the timing of the latest Surgeon General advice couldn't be more interesting.
Just last week, a controversial British study appeared to contradict an established breastfeeding policy set by the World Health Organization. The WHO advocates exclusive breastfeeding of infants to at least six months of age (which means that infants are not given solid food or rice cereal until after six months of age). However, the British study claimed that infants who received solid foods between four and six months of age were healthier, less prone to obesity, and less at risk of celiac disease. The American health community has now joined the fray, and has landed solidly in line with WHO guidelines. The Surgeon General's publication, The Surgeon General's Call To Action to Support Breastfeeding, could not be clearer. Not only does the Surgeon General support the six-month exclusive breastfeeding policy for the health of the child, but advocates 20 different concrete ways in which various sectors of society should support mothers in their informational gathering and desire to breastfeed. The Surgeon General, therefore, sees breastfeeding not just as a positive and important step for a baby's health, but has actually placed this debate in the realm of public health. This is an important distinction. If breastfeeding is not a public health matter, then every parent would be justified in choosing their own infant's nutritional path. However, by making it a matter of public health priority, the Surgeon General has basically declared that there is one "right" way to feed your children: exclusive breastfeeding for six months. The Surgeon General makes an important note, however, that "the decision to breastfeed is a personal one, and a mother should not be made to feel guilty if she cannot or chooses not to breastfeed. The success rate among mothers who want to breastfeed can be greatly improved through active support from their families, friends, communities, clinicians, health care leaders, employers and policymakers." Many mothers, especially first-time mothers, are understandably confused and nervous about breastfeeding. How do I do it? Can I do it at work? Will I have to wake up several times every night to do it? What if my baby doesn't want to do it? Will there be long-term health implications if I do it? All good questions. Fortunately, there are many resources right here in Peoria to support mothers who are looking for information or who have already decided to breastfeed. One new and exciting Peoria resource is OSF's Breastfeeding Resource Center. There is no doubt that, when possible, breastfeeding has very important health benefits for both mother and child, such as the greatly reduced chance of breast cancer in the mother and the greatly enhanced natural immunity of the child. I am always happy to field questions on breastfeeding. If I don't know the answer, I will certainly find out from someone who does. |
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DisclaimerUnless otherwise attributed, all content is written by Kyle Johnson, DC, of Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria.
All images used are under Creative Commons license. Although every effort has been made to provide an accurate description of our chiropractic care and its benefits, the information given on this website and blog is not intended to be, nor should it be interpreted as, medical advice for any condition. If you have any questions regarding your condition, you should seek the help of Dr. Johnson in person, so that he may properly assess your condition. This blog is provided by Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria, S.C., proudly located in Peoria, IL. |