| Did
you know? Chiropracitc is not just a health care modality that treats low back pain and neck pain. Did you know that the first chiropractic manipulation was delivered to Harvey Lillard who was suffering from hearing loss? The developer of chiropractic in North America, Daniel David Palmer observed that the T4 spinal vertebra was misaligned. He delivered his correction and within one week, Mr. Lillard's hearing had returned. Did you know that medical societies now encourage interaction with doctors of chiropractic? "There are no ethical or collective restraints to full professional cooperation between doctors of chiropractic and medical physicians . . . including referrals, group practice, participation in all health care delivery systems, treatment and services in and through hospitals, participation in student exchange programs between chiropractic and medical colleges, and cooperation in research and continuing education programs." -American College of Surgeons (1987) Did you know that chiropractors are better judges of whether a patient needs surgery than an orthopedic surgeon? - Dr. S. Allen Click here for last month's Health Tip and Health Issue Review.  |
| The pains of weight Because your weight can have an effect on your joint pain (due to almost any cause including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, knee instability etc.), this body mass index calculator can help you where you are in terms of appropriate weight for your height. Recommended (body mass index) BMIs are in the range of 20 to 26. The "overweight" range is 26 to 27.3 for women, 26 to 27.8 for men, though some authorities peg the upper limit of overweight at a BMI of 30. This BMI calculator is provided for your reference. You can consult your chiropractor, primary care physician, rheumatologist and/or orthopaedist regarding how your weight may affect your hip, knee or ankle joint pain. More importantly, appropriate measures for improvement will be recommended. |
| Patients with COPD
may be at risk for increased vertebral fractures. At the 23rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research in Arizona researchers from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada have conducted a case-control study of 149 randomly identified chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), patients and 145 age- and sex-matched control patients who did not have a diagnosis of COPD or asthma. All patients had chest X-rays and were admitted to a hospital in the last 12 months. The work revealed 17.4% of the COPD patients compared to 8.9% of control subjects had bone loss or vertebral fracture. Dr. Papaioannou, author of the study, and his associates suggested that the high use of corticosteroid therapy in the COPD cases may play an important role in the higher prevalence of vertebral fractures. "Indeed our findings support such a relationship," he said. The percentage of patients exposed to either oral or inhaled corticosteroids at the time of admission was 73.2% in cases and 4.1% in controls. The negative effects of long term corticosteroid usage on bone density have been long known. If you are a patient on long term corticosteroid therapy for either COPD or pain management, you should consult your primary care provider about appropriate measures to prevent or minimize bone loss. Talk to our doctor of chiropractic today to find out how you can accomplish this. What is wellness care and why is it important? "Wellness is more than a concept. It is a way of life, an integrated, enjoyable approach to living that emphasizes the importance of achieving harmony in all parts of the person—mind, body, and spirit. It is a lifestyle that creates the greatest potential for personal wellbeing. More than an absence of illness, it is a balance among all the aspects of the person.” These words from the 1986 Toronto Wellness Conference ring true to today's fast paced world. Rather than focusing efforts on combating everyday micro-organisms that weaken the immune system, chiropractors work with the immune system to strengthen it. Research has shown that interventions directed at strengthening core muscles, improving and maintaining proper joint function and nutritional / psychosocial balances keeps patients out of pain longer than any long term course of pain killers because it addresses the problems with structure rather than mask pain symptoms with pharmaceuticals that have known side effects. |
Additional References Stiell, IG. C-Spine rule for trauma patients. JAMA 2001 Oct;(286):1841-1848 Huang C, Ross PD, Lydick E, Wasnich RD. Factors associated with joint pain among postmenopausal women. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1997 May;21(5):349-54 Palinkas LA, Kabongo ML. The use of complementary and alternative medicine by primary care patients. A SURF*NET study. J Fam Pract 2000 Dec;49(12):1121-30 Linton SJ, van Tulder MW. Preventive interventions for back and neck pain problems: what is the evidence? Spine 2001 Apr 1;26(7):778-87 Witte KK, Clark AL, Cleland JG. Chronic heart failure and micronutrients. J Am Coll Cardiol 2001 Jun 1;37(7):1765-74. |
