Have you visited healthierillinois.com yet? It's a new initiative from the Illinois Chiropractic Society that showcases the message and health mission of Illinois chiropractors by using the slogan "Natural First." As the website explains: “Natural First” by no means indicates a “Natural Only” philosophy. It means instead that, for many musculoskeletal conditions, providers should first pursue more conservative care without the use of drugs or surgeries. In a recent UnitedHealthcare Analysis, one in four patients suffered from a musculoskeletal condition, and low back pain is the second most common reason for a patient to see a primary care physician. Since chiropractic is a non-invasive method of treating many common musculoskeletal conditions without the side effects to your body that often accompany drugs and surgeries, chiropractors believe that chiropractic and other non-invasive treatments and therapies should be attempted first. If your condition or problem is not resolved by trying non-invasive care, then care can always escalate to more invasive methods. The website also has answers to many common questions from patients, such as "Is chiropractic treatment safe?" and "Does chiropractic treatment require a referral from an MD?" The website also hosts videos, helps patients find chiropractic doctors in their area, and provides research on common chiropractic questions. As the website states: For over a hundred years, chiropractic physicians have been utilizing their “Natural First” approach helping patients address issues ranging from headaches to sport injuries to back pain. Chiropractic physicians make up a vital and effective member of your family’s medical team allowing for a drug and surgery free first approach to your health care and a focus on your body’s overall sense of wellness.
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Dateline, Peoria: October has been officially declared Illinois Chiropractic Health Care Month, in conjunction with the national celebration of October being National Chiropractic Health Month. To begin our celebration of the month, here's an excellent infographic from the American Chiropractic Association regarding backpack safety:
Here is a guest article provided by the US Chiropractic Directory:
Harvard Study Points to Chiropractic Care for Pain Relief & The Safety of the Chiropractic Adjustment by Noah Herbert, D.C., CCSP® William J. Owens DC, DAAMLP Mark Studin DC, FASBE(C), DAAMLP, DAAPM A recent article released by Harvard Health Publications at Harvard Medical School points to chiropractic care as a form of pain relief. There are currently many Americans that seek out chiropractors, but many people don’t realize the wide variety of treatments that a chiropractor can provide for pain relief. The article states “while the mainstay of chiropractic is spinal manipulation, chiropractic care now includes a wide variety of other treatments, including manual or manipulative therapies, postural and exercise education, ergonomic training (how to walk, sit, and stand to limit back strain), nutritional consultation, and even ultrasound and laser therapies. In addition, chiropractors today often work in conjunction with primary care doctors, pain experts, and surgeons to treat patients with pain.” While this is nothing new for the chiropractic community, it may serve to further educate the public as to the many tools a chiropractor possesses to help patients. While the majority of research on chiropractic has focused on spinal manipulation, or adjustment of the spine, for pain relief, there have been studies done on the effectiveness of chiropractic for treating musculoskeletal pain, headaches, asthma, carpal tunnel syndrome and fibromyalgia (Harvard Health Publications). The author goes on to state “a recent review concluded that chiropractic spinal manipulation may be helpful for back pain, migraine, neck pain and whiplash.” It should be pointed out there have been reports of serious complications, including stroke, but this has been shown to be extremely rare and some studies suggest this may not be directly caused by the treatment provided by the chiropractor (Harvard Health Publications). Spinal manipulation, or adjustment of the spine, is a term used to describe providing a high velocity, low amplitude thrust to the vertebra. Chiropractors use this technique to correct the body’s spinal alignment to relieve pain and improve function and to allow the body to heal itself. Treatment usually takes between 10 to 20 minutes and most patients are scheduled 2-3 times per week initially. Patients generally see improvement of their symptoms in the first two to three weeks (Harvard Health Publications). Harvard Medical School is now saying what chiropractors have been saying for over 100 years and although their article was based on pain, it does add more evidence to the false rhetoric of chiropractic patients having a greater risk of stroke. In the future, reports from Harvard and other medical academic institutions will embrace the growing body of scientific evidence of the varied maladies that respond to chiropractic care. References:
Chiropractors have known about the condition known as "text neck" for years, and research is starting to catch up. Text neck is neck pain and loss of normal neck curvature because of prolonged slumping posture, generally brought about by hunching over a smartphone. A sudden increase in neck pain among younger people, students, and computer workers has led researchers to try to figure out the mechanism behind this pain. Anecdotally, more and more young people are presenting to chiropractic offices like Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria with neck pain and headaches. It all comes down to posture. New research shows that bending your head down to look at a phone in your hands increases the head's pressure on the spine from a normal of about 10-12 lbs of pressure all the way up to 60 lbs of pressure on the spine. Also, by bending the head forward, the normal stable spinal curve in the neck flattens out, so all of this extra pressure on the neck is being supported by a less stable neck. No wonder that the ligaments of the neck get stretched, the muscles overwork, and pain syndromes begin! From an article in yesterday's Daily Mail, which discussed the research: Writing in the study, the researchers said: 'The weight seen by the spine dramatically increases when flexing the head forward at varying degrees.' That same article includes some helpful tips on how to maintain proper posture:
More helpful tips can be found at our webpage discussing Text Neck.
Hey, Peoria! There are only three more days left in National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM)! Sponsored by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), the purpose of the NCHM is to celebrate all the positive aspects of remaining healthy by using chiropractic care. Chiropractic was founded in October of 1895, and each October since has been celebrated as the anniversary of the birth of a life-changing healing science.
Courtesy of the ACA, here are three infographics that highlight the cost effectiveness, comparative safety, and positive outcomes of chiropractic. |
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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. |