Patients Who See Chiropractor First Much Less Likely to Have Spinal Surgery

A study published in the medical journal Spine on December 12, 2012, showed that patients who went to a chiropractor first with a back injury were less like to have surgery then those who went to an orthopedic surgeon. Articles on the study also appeared in the January 22, 2013, issue of the Monthly Prescribing Reference, as well as in a Business Wire release on Jan 08, 2013, by the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP).
The study, titled "Early Predictors of Lumbar Spine Surgery after Occupational Back Injury: Results from a Prospective Study of Workers in Washington State," reviewed the records of patients in Washington state who had returned to work after a work-related back injury. Researchers looked at the claims of 1,885 workers for up to three years after the initial claim to see how many resulted in spinal surgery. The results showed that 174 (9.2%) of the people returning to work after a back injury had lumbar spine surgery within 3 years. Using this, the researchers wanted to see what factors affected the rate of these surgeries.
In a January 8, 2013, release by the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, spokesperson and chiropractor Dr. Gerard Clum discussed the study results by saying, "In total, 42.7 percent of workers who initially visited a surgeon underwent surgery, in contrast to only 1.5 percent of those who first consulted a chiropractor." He noted that the study was conducted by a collaboration of prestigious institutions including Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, University of Washington School of Public Health, University of Washington School of Medicine, Ohio State University College of Public Health, and the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.
The researchers also noted the significant difference between patients who first went to the chiropractor by stating in their conclusion, "There was a very strong association between surgery and first provider seen for the injury, even after adjustment for other important variables."
"Back injuries are the most prevalent occupational injury in the U.S., and care is commonly associated with one of the most costly treatments - spine surgery. Chiropractic is clearly the most appropriate first treatment option for patients with back pain, and this study confirms the value," reports Dr. Clum. "As more data continues to surface touting the benefits of chiropractic care -- lower costs, less risks and higher satisfaction rates -- I expect that patients and practitioners will move toward considering chiropractic first, medicine second, and surgery last."



Go see Dr Garrett Bode or visit his other links and websites:  http://www.bodespinalcenter.com/ or see our latest press release (Click Here). [Chiropractor Oldsmar], Chiropractic Tampa, 33635, Chiropractor Tampa, Bode Chiropractic Accident & Wellness Center, Oldsmar, 33635, Neck Pain, Low Back Pain, Auto Accidents, Headaches. Link Link BodeChiropractic.Blogspot.com http://fl.local.yahoo.biz/chiropractortampa 

Improvement in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Following Chiropractic Care

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health (JPMFH) published a case study on August 16, 2012, documenting the case of a young girl with scoliosis who was helped with chiropractic care. An additional study published in the June 2012 issue of the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine (JCM) reports on an additional case of idiopathic scoliosis being helped with chiropractic care.
According to the authors of the JPMFH study, "Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS), which accounts for approximately 80 percent of the reported cases (of scoliosis), is the most common orthopedic deformity affecting children." Scoliosis is classified as AIS (affecting adolescent) when it is detected at age 10 or above. The authors note that this form affects between 3 and 5 percent of adolescents and is more common in girls.
The authors of the JPMFH study noted that there are two medical forms of treatment for AIS which include bracing or surgery. They note that the bracing option carries self esteem problems as the child is required to wear the brace upwards of 23 hours per day. The surgical option is limited in results and often requires multiple procedures costing upward of half-a-million dollars. They note that there are multiple separate studies of chiropractic helping AIS in various publications.
In the case in the JPMFH, an eleven-year-old girl was brought to the chiropractor because her mother was concerned with postural abnormalities she observed in her daughter. The JCM case involved a nine-year-old girl who was also suffering with AIS and was brought to a chiropractor. Both children received a variety of chiropractic examination procedures, and both had spinal x-rays. The x-rays were measured for curvature angles with both girls having a 22 degree curve at their worst point.
In both these cases Chiropractic care was initiated utilizing different forms of chiropractic care for each of the two girls. Both girls were seen by the chiropractor multiple times on regular schedules over several months. Both girls were also subsequently re-evaluated and comparative x-rays were performed.
Subsequent re-evaluations and x-rays showed that both the nine year-old and eleven year-old showed corrections of the curvatures measuring 55 percent and 13 percent respectively. The case in the JCM noted that the young girl did not show any psychological issues sometimes observed with other forms of care for scoliosis. The authors of the JPMFH article noted that, in addition to the curvature improvements in their case, this patient also experienced decreased pain, increased range of motion, and improved quality of sleep.


Go see Dr Garrett Bode or visit his other links and websites:  http://www.bodespinalcenter.com/ or see our latest press release (Click Here). [Chiropractor Oldsmar], Chiropractic Tampa, 33635, Chiropractor Tampa, Bode Chiropractic Accident & Wellness Center, Oldsmar, 33635, Neck Pain, Low Back Pain, Auto Accidents, Headaches. Link Link BodeChiropractic.Blogspot.com http://fl.local.yahoo.biz/chiropractortampa 

Chronic and Acute Neck Pain Both Helped with Chiropractic According to Study

A study published on August 24, 2012 in the journal Chiropractic & Manual Therapies showed that both chronic and acute neck pain respond to chiropractic care. The study, conducted using information from multiple chiropractic practices in Switzerland, was originally designed to see if there was a way to predict the outcomes to chiropractic care for people with either acute or chronic neck pain.
The authors of the study start off by explaining that neck pain is the second most common reason that people go to a chiropractor, behind back pain. They also report that several recent studies confirm the safety of chiropractic care, which the authors referred to in this study as Chiropractic SMT (spinal manipulative treatment).
In this study patients with neck pain of any duration, who had not received any chiropractic care for the previous three months were reviewed. Patients whose neck pain was less than 4 weeks in duration were classified as acute while those whose symptoms were longer than 12 weeks in duration were classified as chronic. A numerical rating scale (NRS) was used to rate neck pain with patients in this study to standardize results. Results were collected from the patients at the intervals of one week, one month and three months after starting care.
Of the 529 patients in this study, 274 were classified as acute, while 255 classified as chronic. At one week after the start of care the study records that 77.8% of the acute patients and 37.6% of the chronic patients reported that they were feeling significantly improved. At one month the study recorded that 86.6% of the acute patients and 62.4% of the chronic patients reported being improved. Finally at the 3 month check 84.3% of the acute patients and 70.1% of the chronic patients now stated that they were improved. Only 4% of the acute patients and 9% of the chronic patients said that they felt worse at the 3 month period.
The authors noted that their results did not show many ways to predict the overall outcomes of care in advance. However, as one would expect, those patients that showed earlier results were more likely to show positive results at the 90 day follow up. The researchers did report that the addition of either radiating pain or dizziness, in conjunction with neck pain, did not diminish the results that these patients achieved.


Go see Dr Garrett Bode or visit his other links and websites:  http://www.bodespinalcenter.com/ or see our latest press release (Click Here). [Chiropractor Oldsmar], Chiropractic Tampa, 33635, Chiropractor Tampa, Bode Chiropractic Accident & Wellness Center, Oldsmar, 33635, Neck Pain, Low Back Pain, Auto Accidents, Headaches. Link Link BodeChiropractic.Blogspot.com http://fl.local.yahoo.biz/chiropractortampa 

Huge fines, settlements and lawsuits are all routine business for Big Pharma

Just look at the size of these profits.  It is no wonder these drug companies don't want you to try Chiropractic!!

In 2012, five pharmaceutical companies agreed to pay nearly $5.5 billion to settle allegations of fraud, including promotion of medicines for uses not approved by the FDA. The settlements represent the continued trend of record-breaking fines, settlements and lawsuits which have become a routine part of doing business for Big Pharma.

Between 2004 and 2010, major drug companies paid out $7 billion in fines, penalties and lawsuits for fraudulently marketing their drugs, making misleading claims about the drugs safety and hiding or altering studies which indicated evidence of harm. The threat of massive payouts does not appear to offer much deterrent.

Even the largest of settlements rarely dents the profits associated with the drugs involved. The largest fine ever imposed thus far - last July's $3 billion judgment against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for illegally marketing the antidepressants Paxil and Wellbutrin, withholding health risks data of the diabetes medication Avandia and other wrongdoings - accounted for just 11 percent of associated revenue. By contrast, in most individual cases of fraud all profits are typically confiscated and the fraudster goes to prison.

Recent year drug company fines and settlements include:

• In September 2009, Pfizer was fined $2.3 billion for misbranding the painkiller Bextra with "the intent to defraud or mislead".

• In November 2011, Merck agreed to pay a fine of $950 million related to illegal promotion of the painkiller Vioxx - which has been estimated to have caused up to 60,000 or more heart attack deaths.

• In July 2012, GlaxoSmithKline agreed to pay a fine of $3 billion to resolve liabilities regarding promotion of Paxil and Avandia and other drugs and failure to report safety data.

• In December 2012, Sanofi-Aventis agreed to pay $109 million to resolve allegations that the company got inflated prices from government programs by submitting false price reports for the drug Hyalgan.

• In January 2009, Eli Lilly was fined $1.42 billion to resolve a government investigation into the off-label promotion of the antipsychotic Zyprexa.

• In April 2010, AstraZeneca was fined $520 million to resolve allegations that it illegally promoted the antipsychotic drug Seroquel for unapproved uses.

• In May 2012, Abbott was fined $1.5 billion in connection with the illegal promotion of the antipsychotic drug Depakote.

• In October 2012, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. agreed to pay $95 million to resolve allegations that the company promoted several drugs - including Aggrenox, Atrovent and Combivent, and Micardis - for non-approved uses.

• In December 2012, Amgen agreed to pay a $762 million fine to resolve charges that the company illegally introduced and promoted several drugs including Aranesp.

Risky drugs remain on the market

The FDA has approved an average of 24 drugs a year since 2000 - many of which pose health risks and serious long-term side effects. Drug companies greatly contribute to the problem when they conduct flawed or dishonest clinical trials.

Risky drugs still on the market include:

• Type 2 diabetes drugs Avandia and Actos.
• Antidepressants Paxil, Prozac, Effexor, Zoloft and Lexapro.
• Mood stabilizer Depakote.
• Birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin.
• Acne medication Accutane.
• Blood thinners Pradaxa and Xarelto
• Osteoporosis treatment Fosamax
• Dialysis drugs GranuFlo and NaturaLyte
• Hair loss pill Propecia.

Side effects associated with the above drugs range from birth defects and liver damage to suicidal behavior, blood clots, bladder cancer, Crohn's disease, heart attacks, strokes, uncontrollable bleeding and heart failure.

As the New England Journal of Medicine recently editorialized: Fines against drug companies should be large enough that they can't be dismissed as merely "the cost of doing business"; whistleblowers should be offered more protections; and criminal charges should be filed against drug company executives for misconduct that could put them in prison.


Go see Dr Garrett Bode or visit his other links and websites:  http://www.bodespinalcenter.com/ or see our latest press release (Click Here). [Chiropractor Oldsmar], Chiropractic Tampa, 33635, Chiropractor Tampa, Bode Chiropractic Accident & Wellness Center, Oldsmar, 33635, Neck Pain, Low Back Pain, Auto Accidents, Headaches. Link Link BodeChiropractic.Blogspot.com http://fl.local.yahoo.biz/chiropractortampa 

Bone density sharply enhanced by weight training, even in the elderly

Chiropractic can ensure that the body is well maintained, flexible, and ready for action.This is extremely important in the maintenance of your health and will help prepare the body for other activities that will increase overall health.  As people reach old age, osteoporosis is a major determining factor in quality of life. In Healing Moves, Dr. Mitchell and Carol Krucoff write, "Age-related declines in muscle and bone mass … can lead to frailty and fracture -- the primary reason older adults wind up in nursing homes." If you don't want to spend your later years resting in a nursing home, losing your independence and draining your or your family's financial resources, you need to do something to remain independent. According to numerous studies and aging manuals, that "something" is strength training, an activity known to increase bone mass and thus decrease the possibility of osteoporosis.
Postmenopausal women are especially prone to osteoporosis because they lack estrogen. Most women know this and begin to take calcium supplements to ward off the debilitating disease. Calcium supplements are important, but according to Kathy Keeton's book, Longevity, they are not enough. Not only does your body need magnesium and other nutrients to assimilate calcium into your bones, it also needs strength training to retain calcium. Keeton quotes nutritional biochemist Dr. Neil S. Orenstein: "Without consideration of these effects, no amount of calcium supplementation will prevent osteoporosis." Numerous studies demonstrate strength training's ability to increase bone mass, especially spinal bone mass. According to Keeton, a research study by Ontario's McMaster University found that a year-long strength training program increased the spinal bone mass of postmenopausal women by nine percent. Furthermore, women who do not participate in strength training actually experience a decrease in bone density. In Prescription Alternatives, Professor Earl Mindell and Virginia Hopkins detail these findings: "In a recent study on bone density and exercise, older women who did high-intensity weight training two days per week for a year were able to increase their bone density by one percent, while a control group of women who did not exercise had a bone density decrease of 1.8 to 2.5 percent. The women who exercised also had improved muscle strength and better balance, while both decreased in the non-exercising group." Increased bone density, improved muscle strength, better balance -- these three things will dramatically improve your later years and increase your longevity. Only these health improvements can help prevent a bad fall, which is often a turning point in an elderly person's life. One bad spill can result in a broken hip, an injury that can lead to an elderly person's immobility and dependence on others. Only strength training can provide these benefits, but what exactly does "strength training" or "weight training" mean?

A little training goes a long way

Strength training does not mean that you have to train for the Olympics or tediously do the same exercise over and over. According to Healing Moves, a variety of exercises will yield bone-building benefits: "Physical impact and weight-bearing exercise stimulates bone formation. Just as a muscle gets stronger and bigger the more you use it, a bone becomes stronger and denser when you regularly place demands upon it.
The best bone builders are exercises that put force on the bone, such as weight-bearing activities like running and resistance exercises like strength training. In general, the greater the impact involved, the more it strengthens the bones." However, it is important to distinguish the exercises that will increase bone density from the ones that will not. "Weight lifting, including curls and bench presses, is a beneficial activity … Dancing, stair-climbing and brisk walking are all weight-bearing exercises, which promote (good) mechanical stress in the skeletal system, contributing to the placement of calcium in bones. Aerobic exercises such as biking, rowing and swimming do not strengthen the bones," writes Gary Null in Power Aging. Now, aerobic exercise is great for your cardiovascular system, so you still should do it along with strength training. You don't have to devote a lot of time to strength training to experience the benefits. Null believes that only 15 to 30 minutes of weight training, two to three times per week, can provide you with the bone density you need to prevent osteoporosis. Just make sure that you work all your different muscle groups and allow a 24-hour lapse between sessions. For best results, women should start strength training long before menopause; however, women can experience the benefits at any age. "A 1994 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that women as old as 70 who lifted weights twice a week for a year avoided the expected loss of bone and even increased their bone density slightly," writes Robert Haas in Permanent Remissions. According to Dr. George Kessler's Bone Density Program, "One study of people in their 80s and 90s living in nursing homes who exercised with weight machines three times a week for just eight weeks showed improvements in strength, balance and walking speed." It's never too late to lift just a few light weights and increase your bone density.


Go see Dr Garrett Bode or visit his other links and websites:  http://www.bodespinalcenter.com/ or see our latest press release (Click Here). [Chiropractor Oldsmar], Chiropractic Tampa, 33635, Chiropractor Tampa, Bode Chiropractic Accident & Wellness Center, Oldsmar, 33635, Neck Pain, Low Back Pain, Auto Accidents, Headaches. Link Link BodeChiropractic.Blogspot.com http://fl.local.yahoo.biz/chiropractortampa