This is a common question. You pay hefty premiums for your health insurance, and you'd certainly like to get good use out of it. So you begin to do research with the following questions: "Which chiropractors accept my insurance? Are they located nearby? Are they accepting new patients?"
"Which chiropractors accept my health insurance?" If you have health insurance under United Health/Caterpillar, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicare, Coventry, and other insurers, then you can rest assured that Johnson Family Chiropractic will be able to take care of all of your insurance needs. Since we are a participating provider with these insurance companies, we will contact those companies for you and handle all communications and billing, which leaves you with a simple co-pay per visit. As with all insurance companies, however, your company will likely have some services which they require to be performed but which they might not pay for (exams or X-rays, for example). In those cases, your insurance company will require that you pay those balances. In addition, there is a "fourth party payer" system created by Multiplan and PHCS. These large companies contract with smaller insurance companies to ensure that their prices are low. You can usually determine if your insurance company contracts with Multiplan or PHCS by looking for their logo on your insurance card. The logo is small, green, and typically lists the name of either Multiplan or PHCS (see example). Since Johnson Family Chiropractic is a participating provider with both Multiplan and PHCS, you can then rest assured that your prices will be the lowest in Peoria. In addition, Johnson Family Chiropractic pledges to take care of all your insurance needs even if your insurance company is not specifically contracted with us. In many cases, the "out of network" benefits are just as good as the "in network" benefits, which means that you haven't lost money by trying your friendly gentle local Peoria chiropractor. If we are not currently contracted with your insurance company, let us know! We'll be happy to investigate your benefits out-of-network or even join the network in order to provide you with excellent chiropractic care. "Are you located nearby?" Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria is naturally located in... Peoria! Our position on the map is wonderful, however. We are quickly and easily accessed from all parts of Peoria by way of War Memorial Drive, Forrest Hill Avenue, and Prospect Road. It takes just 12-15 minutes to cross town from Sterling Avenue to Prospect Road by way of Forrest Hill Avenue. In addition, our location just south of Peoria Heights means that we are quickly accessible from all parts of the Heights just by driving down Prospect Road. We are just 10 minutes from all parts of South Rome and Mossville by way of Route 29, and just 20 minutes south of Chillicothe. Since we are the nearest chiropractic office to the McClugage Bridge over Upper Peoria Lake, we are also the most easily accessible chiropractic office on this side of the Illinois River from East Peoria, Washington, Germantown Hills, Bay View Gardens, Spring Bay, and Metamora. "Are you accepting new patients?" Yes. We are accepting patients who use insurance and those who pay at the time of service.
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What would happen if you plugged 10 appliances in one outlet and turned them all on at the same time? You'd blow a circuit, right? Well, the same thing could happen if you surge your 'nerve circuits' with too much STRESS...
Picture your nerve system as an electrical outlet with multiple stresses plugged in. Turn on all those stresses at the same time and POW, you'll quickly overload your system, blow a circuit and fry your state of health! Chiropractors call this situation a subluxation. Depending on what nerves (circuits) are involved, you can experience symptoms from mild aches and pains to more significant health problems like high blood pressure (Journal of Human Hypertension 22,1 G Bakris, MD et al). So how can you avoid the dangers of stress surge? Although it's impossible to eliminate all stress from your life, you can stay ahead of their negative, accumulative effects with regular chiropractic care. Your chiropractor performs his or her job much like an electrician... skillfully checking your nerve system for overloaded circuits and turning them back on so you won't experience an interruption in your state of health and wellness. When it comes to basic, preventative care, nothing beats keeping your power on. Content provided by Principle33. Source: Foundation for Chiropractic Progress
In a recent study, “Manipulation or Microdisketomy for Sciatica? A Prospective Randomized Clinical Study,” (Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, October 2010, Vol. 33 Iss. 8, p: 576-584), researchers concluded that spinal manipulation was just as effective as microdiskectomy for patients struggling with sciatica secondary to lumbar disk herniation (LDH). The patient population studied included people experiencing chronic sciatica (symptoms greater than six months) that had failed traditional, medical management. Overall, 60 percent of patients who received spinal manipulation benefited to the same degree as those who underwent surgery. “To our knowledge, this is the first, randomized trial that directly compared spinal manipulation, which in this study was delivered by a doctor of chiropractic, and back surgery, two popular treatment choices for this prevalent health condition,” says Dr. Gordon McMorland, who co-authored the paper with neurosurgeons Steve Casha, MD, PhD, FRCSC, Stephan J. du Plessis, MD, and R. John Hubert, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS. “Sciatica is a serious spinal condition that causes pain, numbness, or weakness in one or both legs. Many times when symptoms become debilitating and without further help, surgery is prescribed to alleviate discomfort. But surgery is not without financial and physical drawbacks.” According to the study, “Outpatient Lumbar Microdiscectomy: A Prospective Study in 122 Patients”, more than 200,000 microdiskectomies are performed annually in the United States, at a direct cost of $5 billion, or $25,000 per procedure. In this year-long study, consenting participants were chosen randomly to receive either an average of 21 chiropractic sessions over a year or a single microdiskectomy, both with the additional integration of six supervised active rehabilitation sessions and a patient education program. If cost is assumed at $100 per chiropractic visit, there is a direct, total savings of $22,900 per manipulation patient. System-wide, this could save $2.75 billion dollars annually. “After a year, no significant complications were seen in either treatment group, and the 60 percent patients who benefitted from spinal manipulation improved to the same degree as their surgical counterparts,” says Dr. McMorland, who also points out that, “The 40 percent of patients who were not helped by manipulation did receive subsequent surgical intervention. These patients benefitted to the same degree as those that underwent surgery initially, suggesting there was no detrimental effect caused by delaying their surgical treatment.” “Our research supports spinal manipulation performed by a doctor of chiropractic is a valuable and safe treatment option for those experiencing symptomatic LDH, failing traditional medical management. These individuals should consider spinal manipulation as a primary treatment, followed by surgery if unsuccessful.” WIFE: "I have to lie down. This headache is killing me." HUSBAND: "Yeah. I've got one, too." What are the chances that these two individuals are experiencing the same sort of headache? Are the causes behind the headache the same? Will they both respond the same way to an over-the-counter medication? What if we dig a little deeper into this scenario? WIFE: "Can you turn off the lights, honey? The bright lights are making my headache worse." HUSBAND: "Sure. But that's funny. The lights don't bother me." WIFE: "Ohhh. Thanks. The darkness is better." HUSBAND: "Didn't help me at all. My temples are still throbbing." WIFE: "Temples? My temples are fine. It's my eyes that are burning. And my head is splitting." HUSBAND: "Nope. You're still in one piece." The term "headache" is not very descriptive. All a "headache" means is that the sufferer happens to have pain in or near the head. The possible causes of a headache range from simple muscle issues to life-threatening ones. While the Wife is probably experiencing a classic migraine headache, the Husband has a much more common condition: neck muscle pain which is referred to the head. Since many common headaches are caused by tight muscles in the neck or shoulders, chiropractors have a track record of excellent successes with headaches, especially those experienced in the temples, behind the eyes, across the forehead, and below the back of the head. These headaches, called cervicogenic headaches (the term literally means "born in the neck"), result from your brain misinterpreting the exact location of pain and distress signals from the nerves and muscles of the neck and shoulders. Since most people are "wired" similarly, these misinterpretations become relatively predictable, leading the trained chiropractor directly to the source of the problem: tight muscles or subluxated vertebrae, both of which cause dysfunctional or insufficient messages from the nervous system. It takes quite a bit of "outside the box" thinking to realize that headaches felt in the head might be coming from somewhere else. But, as they say, when you step on a dog's tail, it barks out the other end. Even the Wife's migraine is probably caused by a combination of upper back nervous system dysfunction and blood vessel vasoconstriction in the head: a double whammy. But some headaches, which might feel just like a migraine or a cervicogenic headache, are actually harbingers of very serious underlying conditions like a stroke. How can you tell the difference? An excellent publication called The Chiropractic Report compiled some "red flags" for headaches in their September, 2010, edition: • Recent Onset. Less than six months. Most patients with chronic primary headaches consult a health professional only after a long history of suffering. A patient with headaches caused by an underlying disease process is likely to consult a doctor much sooner because of the severity of the headaches or associated symptoms. Recent onset is a red flag, particularly with adults. • Positional Headache. A headache that is aggravated by changes in position, for example moving from a reclining to an upright position, suggests an increase in intra-cranial pressure and a sinister cause. If so, one would expect that coughing, sneezing or similar activities would also exacerbate the headache. Migraine headaches or other vascular headaches may be sensitive to these activities, but to a lesser degree. • Focal Neurologic Signs. The presence of any hard neurological signs accompanying a headache. These may include motor or sensory deficits, cranial nerve palsies, visual losses, or cerebellar signs. Any one of these signs indicates a likely intra-cranial lesion. A migraine aura may include some of these neurologic deficits, but only on a temporary or transient basis. • Cognitive Changes. Memory loss or confusion are among the more common signs and symptoms accompanying a space-occupying lesion or increase in intra-cranial pressure. A spouse, close friend or relative can be very helpful in identifying these changes in a patient. • Progressive Headaches. Headaches that are progressive in frequency, intensity or both, suggest an evolving process, and an intra-cranial mass or lesion. Any change in headache patterns should be viewed with suspicion." If you find yourself experiencing any of the above signs, be sure to contact a medical professional immediately. The rest of that issue of The Chiropractic Report discussed the prevalence and treatment of cervicogenic headaches, and points out the success rate that chiropractors have with headaches, since we look for the cause of the headache instead of simply trying to reduce the pain. If the cause is found and corrected, the pain will also decrease. But if the treatment is focused only on the pain, the cause will remain and result only in more future headaches. It's worth consulting your friendly local Peoria chiropractor as soon as the headache rears its ugly... well... head. Did you know that 40 percent of the population currently suffers with sleeping problems? It isn't uncommon for chiropractors to find a misalignment of the first two cervical vertebrae, the atlas and axis, in people who suffer from sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea.
Since a good night's sleep is one of the most important requirements for complete healing, restoring normal sleep is a desired effect of any chiropractic care plan. It's common for many regular chiropractic clients to see an improvement in sleeping habits within the first week of care, regardless of the condition they come in with. Sleeping better is a common 'side effect' when normal alignment is restored at the C1/C2 area, and no drugs have to be involved! A misaligned atlas or axis can be determined with simple chiropractic tests. If you know someone suffering with poor sleep, tell them to save their money on a new pillow and have their upper neck evaluated by a chiropractor. If we can get you sleeping better, we can get you healing better. Content provided by Principle33. |
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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. |