You are currently browsing the monthly archive for February 2007.
My wife had an appointment with another heath care practicioner this morning. I like to go with her not only as moral support, but also to study how other offices work. Here’s what I noticed:
The doctor was very thorough, but seemed a bit rushed. He adequately handled the problem which brought my wife into the office in a timely fashion. However, he seemed very interested in discussing an “elective” procedure that might be of benefit to my wife. When she asked if it may help the problem which brought her in from reoccurring, she was given a brief, non-committal answer. We were then taken to a different room to watch a video about the procedure, after which a nurse handed us an informed consent form and let us know that they schedule these procedures on Mondays and Fridays.
It all just seemed way too “salesy” for me. I work hard to ensure that Complete Spine & Headache Center does not operate that way. If there are care options that I feel would be beneficial to patients, we discuss it. No high pressure gimmicks. No videos. I let patients ask any questions they have and give them the time to make a decision. Once the decision is made, we respect it. End of story.
If you should ever feel otherwise, please let me know! I want to provide state of the art natural healthcare services, not move a used Chevy off the lot.
As an Advanced-Proficiency Activator Practicioner, I was excited to hear about a new partnership between Activator Methods and Andrew Weil, M.D., Harvard-trained medical doctor and best-selling author, known for his support of natural health and preventative medicine.
Starting in July of this year, visitors to Dr. Weil’s website looking for referrals to chiropractors will be directed exclusively to Activator doctors.
This is quite an endorsement for Activator coming from one of the most well-known people in the natural health community. To learn more about the gentle, low-force approach to chiropractic care that Activator doctors provide, check out this website.
We have tackled the virtues of good standing posture in a previous post. However, I just read an interesting study showing that sitting up straight may not be the best thing for your back.
In the study, presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, researchers used a form of MRI to analyze the spinal angles, spinal disc movement and spinal disc height of people sitting in three postures: “slouched,” “90-degree” and “relaxed,” defined as reclined 135 degrees backward with the feet on the floor.
In their analysis, the “slouched” position created a reduction in disc height, signifying a high rate of wear and tear on the two lowest spinal levels. In the “90-degree” position, which most people consider normal, there was a significant level of disc movement, indicative of weight-bearing strain upon the spine. In the “relaxed” position, disc movement was least pronounced, “indicating that less strain is placed on the spinal discs and and associated muslces and tendons in a more relaxed sitting position.”
After thinking about this study, I realized that I naturally attempt to sit in a slightly reclined postion because I find it more comfortable. I guess my body was on to something!
The moral of the story is that sitting in an upright position for extended periods of time increases the mechanical stress upon your spine and can contribute to your back pain. If you work in a job that requires prolonged sitting, try and adjust your chair so that you are in a slightly reclined position. Your back will thank you for it.
A survey of 266 first-year and second-year medical students done at the Georgetown University School of Medicine and published in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, shows changing perceptions about the the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the medical community.
In the study, 91% of the respondants felt that “CAM includes ideas and methods from which Western medicine could benefit.” Of the 15 CAM modalities listed on the survey, the students most often wanted training “sufficient to advise patients about use” of accupunture, chiropractic, herbal medicine and nutritional supplements.
This is encouraging news coming from the East Coast. However, we all can be proactive and help change attitudes here at home, too. If you utilize and have received benefit from CAM services, discuss it with your primary care provider. It will not only give them a better overall picture of how you are managing your health, but also help them to know what types of problems respond well to CAM as well as practicioners that they can refer to.
Now, with all the snow on the ground, you know I’m not talking about golf. Over the past year and a half, I have been hearing some rumblings about potential adverse health effects related to flouridation of drinking water. Apparently, this has not gone unnoticed. MSN.com recently posted a link to this article on their front page.
After reviewing the FAQs at both Brita and Pur, it should be noted that neither of their filtration systems remove flouride from the water.
Just FYI, Ames supplements with Sodium Flourosilicate to achieve 1mg/L of flouride in the water supply.
One of the classic, cliched “mom” lines. However, as with most of mom’s advice, there is some benefit to it. Standing with proper posture can help reduce structual stress on your body and lead to a heathier you.
The people at Real Age Tip of the Day recently posted an article listing 5 steps to perfect posture. I think they are very good so I’ll share them with you here:
- Pull your shoulder blades back slightly toward each other and down away from your ears.
- Lift your chest up and out.
- Pull your head back just enough to keep it in line with your spine.
- Position your pelvis or hips to create or maintain a natural arch in your lower back.
- Pull your belly button in toward your spine without changing or tilting your hips or losing the arch in your lower back.
When you first start trying this, you may feel some tension and discomfort since you are likely going to be activating and/or forcing some muscles to do some things that they haven’t done in awhile. If that persists or if proper posture position causes you significant pain or discomfort, there may be some mechanical problems with your spine that need to be addressed.
Just a couple of follow ups to previous posts:
Here is a link to yet another article questioning the consumption of milk from MSN Health & Fitness. Apparently, this topic is gaining momentum. I’d strongly encourage everyone to read it as well.
Adam left a good question in a comment to a prior post that I wanted to bring out onto the main page. He asked if it was true that if you get your back popped, you can get the flu. I told him that is a scenario that I’ve never heard before and haven’t had happen in my 5 years of clinical experience.
Actually, there is good research supporting the notion that the function of the immune system is improved following a chiropractic adjustment. In this case, it’s likely someone had been exposed to the flu virus, it had found favorable places to incubate and their immune system wasn’t strong enough to handle the attack. It is highly unlikely that an adjustment caused it.
I strongly encourage everyone to post questions, insights and their own personal “takes” on the material presented. I really want this blog to be an interactive place where we can all learn from one another and be able to live happier, healthier lives — naturally!
Each month, Complete Spine & Headache Center chooses a condition to focus our educational efforts on. This month it is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Feel free to download/print/e-mail the attached PDF and share it with those you know who could benefit from the information.
