Chiropractic As An Alternative Treatment

According to a study published in ‘The Annals of Internal Medicine’ in January 2012 where three groups of people were studied categorized by the treatment offered for their neck pain. One group was given recommended painkiller, another was advised to do neck exercises and the third was offered chiropractic treatment. The treatment was carried out over 12 weeks.

At the end of the study the following findings were obtained:

- The group that used painkillers came out as the worst results. Only 33 percent of this group experienced reduction of pain to comfortable levels.

- The group that received advice to do neck exercises fared better with 48 percent of the patients reporting reasonable relief from pain. This also indicates that body exercising and chiropractic are very similar to one another in results.

- The best however, was the group that received chiropractic treatment. In this group 57 percent of the patients reported that pain has reduced by about 75 percent. Just about 20 minutes of treatment over 10-15 visits to the chiropractic is enough to take care of most neck pain.

The groups were reviewed after 12 months and it was found that the groups of people who received non-drug treatment were relatively free from neck pain. About 53 percent of the groups reported that the pain has reduced by at least 75 percent.

On the other hand, in the group that was given painkillers only 38 percent enjoyed about 75 percent decrease in pain. They were also found to have increased the dosage and the interval for taking the painkiller medication – which is one of the harmful side effects of the drug treatment. Additionally, many had developed gastric problems as well as a result of taking excess painkiller pills.

This is not one isolated study. The Internet is full of medical journals that have published studies highlighting the benefits of chiropractic treatment over any other available treatment today for neck and back pain.

It is no wonder then that chiropractic treatment is growing so fast in popularity throughout the world as the best existing alternative medicine treatment muscle, bone and joint related pain.

Ref: Annals of Internal Medicine – Spinal Manipulation, Medication, or Home Exercise with Advice for Cute and Subacute Neck Pain: A Randomized Trial. 3 January 2012.

The Brain-Body Coordination System

Bad posture, trauma and emotional stress are among the most common triggers for irritation and compression of spinal joint nerves. This effect is known medically as ‘subluxation’ and is a very common ailment.

In ideal conditions, the brain sends and receives commands and information from the organs, tissues, skin and muscles of the body vide neuron receptors. The healthier this neurological highway is, the healthier the body. If something gets to interfere with the flow of information, the body is unable to process the information correctly, which affects the coordination, balance and thinking.

When subluxations occur – and this is quite often – the body receives stress signals and hence, it moves into the fight or flight mode. This is an excellent state when you exercise – as it increases the flow of adrenalin, which over a limited period is actually beneficial to the body.

However, owing to the mechanical compression of the spinal joints and thereafter the spinal nerves irritation, the stress mode is maintained over long stretches of time, the body will become worn off and susceptible to various health problems such as blood pressure, digestion problems, lower immunity, susceptibility to injury as well as accelerates degeneration of the joints and spine directly leading to osteoarthritis.

 
Chiropractic Manipulation Benefit

Chiropractic treatment can release the pressure between the spinal joints, thereby releasing the pressure on the nerves and restoring the correct neurological flow between the brain and the body. The manipulation of the spine restores correct posture of the body and improves the brain-body communication channels.

As direct result, the body will no longer be in the flight or fight mode and the stress levels will reduce drastically. The reduced stress in turn, will reduce the cortisol production and prevents further damage to the spine and other joints. Besides preventing and deflecting the above mentioned health problems, the manipulation of the spine to eliminate subluxations also result in better mental function, higher mobility skills and better coordination.

Chiropractic treatment in this case acts like the ‘computer reset’ button. It just puts the body in the pre-stress state and sustains that mode. This means there will no longer be stress on the heart, kidney functions, and joints as the hormone production comes to normal levels. With the brain-body coordination restored, the body starts healing from the ravages caused by the extended stress mode. Hence, it is true that chiropractic helps in brain-body coordination.

Taylor H, Murphy B. Cervical Spine Manipulation Alters Sensorimotor Integration: A Somatosensory evoked potential study. ClinNeurophysiol; 2007;118:391-402 – http://www.alpineclinicofchiropractic.com/2010/09/balance-and-movement-and-the-effect-of-chiropractic-care/

When the problem reaches this stage, the body goes into a fight or flight mode or acute stress mode. This means higher production of adrenalin, higher blood pressure, kidney malfunction, digestive problems and lowered immune system. There will be manifestations on many health problems including inflammation and joints pain.

The Healing Hand Of Chiropractic

It is obvious that all the above problems occur owing to the pressure on the spinal nerves, which forces the brain to keep the body in high stress mode over long periods. Hence, when the chiropractic treatment manipulates and restores the correct posture in the body, it releases the pressure on the nerves that lie in between the joints. This in turn restores the communication between the brain and the body and the stress mode is exited.

With the body back into ‘normal’ mode, the production of hormones also regularizes. This means there is no longer any pressure on the heart and the circulatory system. High bloods pressure will automatically come down, for the body feels there is nothing to worry anymore.

There is a special chiropractic adjustment that involves the manipulation of the upper cervical region. This particular manipulation – according to a study conducted by the University of Chicago – is able to almost instantly regulate blood pressure, without any type of side effects. Elevated blood pressure is also cured by upper thoracic adjustments.

As some experts readily agreed the efficacy of chiropractic in this particular instance, the effect on the body is equivalent to two heart/ blood pressure medications. The procedure – as with all chiropractic treatments – is painless, fast and without any side effects. It is has long terms benefits, which eliminates the dependency on pills to regulate blood pressure and takes care of the heart.

This is why chiropractic treatment is becoming so very popular all over the world, not only in the USA – it is because it lends a healing touch to some of the most harmful ailments of the modern world.

Ref…WebMD – Hypertension/ High Blood Pressure Health Center – Chiropractic Cuts Blood Pressure – http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20070316/chiropractic-cuts-blood-pressure

Vaccines were considered the best thing that modern science has invented – especially since it protects the life of children. However, a number of recent studies show that vaccines are not really safe. In fact they contain a number of harmful substances as vaccine additives that are considered very harmful when injected in the body.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the following ingredients are common in the composition of the majority of vaccines:

1. Aluminum – this is a mineral that is essential to the human body, but it should never be injected as it offers risk for developing brain function related diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

2. Formaldehyde – this is the most common chemical used to preserve dead bodies. When injected in the body it can be highly toxic. It affects the nervous system and can cause brain damage, blindness and trigger seizures. Formaldehyde, according to the 12th Report on Carcinogens of National Toxicology Program (of the US Department of Health and Human Services) is cancerous as well. This chemical may increase the risk for developing myeloid leukemia as well as other types of cancer such as nasopharyngeal cancer and sinonasal cancer.

3. Antibiotics – Once upon a time considered as the best weapons against diseases, today antibiotics are known as the primary cause for the existence of superbugs – or bacteria strains that are resistant to all types of antibiotics. Millions of people dies every year owing to infections by superbugs as they do not respond to any medication.

4. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) – this is another commonly found ingredient in all vaccines that it contraindicated as an injection. This ingredient is highly toxic even when ingested. It can cause heave damage to the endocrine system and trigger headaches and migraines. MSG contains excitotoxin, which is a very potent neurotoxic chemical that can cause death from over-activation of brain neurons. This is another ingredient found routinely in vaccines that should never be injected in the human body.

5. Thimerosal – this is a mercury compound. It is a well established fact that mercury is highly toxic to humans. Forget about ingesting or injecting mercury in the body, even touching mercury can be harmful. According to the CDC, all vaccines contain a certain amount of mercury in them in the form of Thimerosal. This element can cause severe damage to the brain and kidneys. It can also cross the placenta and harm the unborn baby in the womb of the mother.

The above verified facts about vaccines openly declared by the US Department in various publications raises a very valid question – are vaccines really safe?

Ref….Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Ingredients of Vaccines – Fact Sheet.22 February 2011 – http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/additives.htm

Unfortunately, there is no real cure with modern medicine. Pain killers are often addictive, harmful and even fatal as many research studies pointed out. Since the majority of painkillers are opioid, the complications far outnumber the benefits. Among the most common side effects are nausea, drowsiness, constipation, depression and the worst of all – addiction, which often leads to death by overdose.

What The Statistics Say?

The results of a survey published in Consumer Reports in 2009 brought to light some very interesting facts:

- 59 percent of the people (out of the total 14,000 survey respondents who suffered from chronic lower back pain, but chose not to go for surgery or any other invasive medical treatment) stated that chiropractic treatment was highly effective in curing their chronic back pain; while only 34 percent felt regular medicines did them good.

- Among the other alternative treatments, 55 percent derived complete satisfaction from treatment through physical therapy, 53 percent from acupuncture, 44 percent from specialized physician and only about 34 percent from primary care physician.

- Exercise emerged as the best non-medical method to treat back pain with 44 percent of respondents stating that it controlled the pain considerably and strengthened their back muscles.

- Only about 20 percent said that OTC drugs were helpful.
Consumer Reports. SurveyHands-On Therapies among Top-Rated Treatments for Back Pain. 04 June 2009. http://pressroom.consumerreports.org/pressroom/2009/04/consumer-reports-survey-hands-on-therapies-among-top-rated-treatments-for-back-pain.html

- About 88 percent of respondents stated that back pain considerably affected the quality of their lives. They also said that it affected their weight.

- The majority of the respondents tried at least 5-6 types of treatment.

What Does This Survey Actually Tell You?

If you look carefully the findings of these surveys are remarkably clear:

1. Medicines are good but not as good as alternative treatment when it comes to controlling and curing lower back pain.

2. The No.1 choice among the alternative treatments is chiropractic. It is closely followed by physical therapy and acupuncture.

1. Doctors of Chiropractic Study As Much As Regular Doctors

The typical student of chiropractic would have 4 pre-medical years of college education which cover clinical disciplines and basic sciences (focus on biology). To become a doctor of chiropractic, the student would then study 4-5 years out of which clinical training takes up the better part. The course is approved and recognized by the US Department of Education for the past 25 years. There are in total 16 such accredited programs and institutions across the USA. The majority of these colleges offer both under-graduate and post-graduate courses in chiropractic.

2. Doctors of Chiropractic Undergo Rigorous Hands-on Training

The students require to go through extremely rigorous training in subjects such as rehabilitation, physiology and anatomy. Comparatively, this hands-on training is more thorough and painstaking than any of the other branches of medicine, such as regular medical students and/or physical therapists.
3. Doctors of Chiropractic Require To Obtain License From The State Where They Plan To Practice

All chiropractic doctors are required to complete successfully National Board Examination, after which they are offered license to practice. Many states require and additional exam before issuing the license.

4. Advnaced Certifications in Chiropractic

For those who want to specialize further after graduation, chiropractic colleges offer advanced certification in neurology, sports injuries, occupational health and orthopedics among others.

Do You Want To Take Up A Career In Chiropractic?

As a career this is a very promising opportunity. It requires extensive training, a very keen eye for detecting anomalies of the vertebral column and other skeletal abnormalities, plus extreme dexterity for the chiropractic maneuvers. Contrary to common belief, this science does not require

strength; but it does necessitate extraordinary hand deftness, a keen sense of empathy, great patience and experience. This is why the study courses require that the student spends much time training hands-on.

Consult the US Department of labor Occupational Outlook Handbook (http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos071.htm) for more information about how to go about building a career in this field. You will find a list of colleges both within the country and overseas here: http://www.fclb.org/. This is the site of the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards – an organization that provides a wealth of information on how to apply, how to obtain license, and where to apply to pursue a career in chiropractic.

Why Chiropractic Is Good For You?

Chiropractors have to go through four years of post-graduate medicine studies before they practice. They also need to obtain a license from the State where they are establishing their clinic. Hence, contrary to popular myths, chiropractors are well-trained. Other positive points are:

1. According to a turning point study carried out by Ministry of Health Canada the evidence that chiropractic is the best and most-effective method for managing low-back pain.

2. The WHO (World Health Organization) recognizing the merits of this alternative treatment have issued guidelines indicating that chiropractic should be mentioned as a separate profession. To qualify to practice a medical graduate should undergo at least 1800 class hours, out of which at least 1000 hours should be supervised clinical training.

3. According to a another breakthrough study carried out by Scott Haldeman, MD, DC, the safety of chiropractic in pain management is unmatched. The study points that the risk of any type of harm from chiropractic is only 1 in 5.85 million. In other words, the risk is negligible. On relative terms, the risk of developing harmful side-effects from regular medicine – including fatalities – is as high as 1 in 200.

Why Conventional Medicine Is Not Good News?

With the growing popularity of alternative medicines and cures, there were many studies searching for facts on how harmful regular (or modern day) medicines are. According to ‘Death by Medicine’ – a shocking publication of Life Extension Foundation the number of deaths caused annually by prescribed medication is a whooping 783,936; while the number of people suffering from side-effects is close to 2.2 million every year.

Ministry of Health, Government of Canada, Ontario.A Study to Examine the Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Chiropractic management of Low-Back Pain. 1993. – http://www.chiro.org/LINKS/GUIDELINES/Manga_93.shtml
World Health Organization.Guidelines on Basic Training and Safety in Chiropractic. November 2005.
http://www.chiro.org/LINKS/FULL/Basic_Training_and_Safety_in_Chiropractic.pdf
Life Extension Foundation.Death by Medicine by Gary Null, PhD and team. March 2004. http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/mar2004_awsi_death_01.htm

Why The Vote Goes For Chiropractic?

The above facts are totally chilling. On the contrary with chiropractic:

• There is huge evidence – that is growing every day – which proves that chiropractic is THE best way to treat skeleton-muscular pains, especially low-back pain. This is also the most cost effective.
• There is evidence that shows clearly that chiropractic is by far (by many hundred times) safer as treatment for neck pain than NSAIDs.
• As compared to chiropractic, the statistics for spinal surgery say that 74% are failures. On the contrary, chiropractic is safe, costs far less and has no side effects.
]]> http://www.freeexamjacksonville.com/chiropractic-blog/safety-of-chiropractic-vs-conventional-medicine-%e2%80%93-is-chiropractic-is-the-safest/feed/ 0 http://www.freeexamjacksonville.com/chiropractic-blog/the-dangers-of-visceral-fat-%e2%80%93-facts-that-could-save-your-life-2/ http://www.freeexamjacksonville.com/chiropractic-blog/the-dangers-of-visceral-fat-%e2%80%93-facts-that-could-save-your-life-2/#comments Tue, 07 Aug 2012 06:02:09 +0000 admin http://www.freeexamjacksonville.com/chiropractic-blog/?p=133 Did you know that about 69 per cent adult Americans take some or other health supplements on a regular basis? Even so, many feel that consumption of these health supplements is dangerous to health. Fortunately, the facts do not support this assumption.
• According to the Alliance for Natural Health International (UK) the danger of dying from food poisoning is about 900 times more than from consuming health supplements.
• ANHI (UK) also points out those toxic reactions to pharmaceutical drugs are about 62,000 times more likely to cause death than any type of health supplement.
• Statistics collected from the USA state the same story. According to the US National Poison Data System Report of 2010 more than 50 percent of the American adult population takes some or other health supplements every day, with ZERO fatality. This is a remarkable record on safety by any standard.
• In stark contrast, the number of deaths recorded annually in the US of people who take prescribed drugs (as they are prescribed by their doctors) exceeds 125 thousand. This is disturbing news, to say the least.
• The same organization – the US National Poison Data System – points out that from among all the drugs prescribed and available on the market, the following groups are most lethal:
• Sedatives, hypnotics, analgesics and antipsychotics
• Opioids
• Anti-depressants
• Acetaminophen combinations
• Cardiovascular drugs

Among the non-lethal, yet capable of doing great harm to your health are:

• Anti-histamines

Alliance for Natural Health – International. ANH Exclusive! Natural Health Products Ultra-safe and drugs as dangerous as war. - http://anhinternational.org/news/anh-exclusive-natural-health-products-ultra-safe-and-drugs-dangerous-war

• Hormones
• Muscle relaxants
• Anti-inflammatory drugs
• Antacids
• In 2011, a report released by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention brought to light another very disturbing fact. The report stated that the deaths from prescription narcotic-based pain relievers exceed those resulting from drug abuse of cocaine and heroin together.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) warned the public stating that no one should assume that the consumption of any type of drug is without any side effect. In fact, everyone should seek to get as much information as possible about the prescribed drugs they are taking and understand the side-effects, warning, contraindications and danger signs.

So, why are health supplements looked upon as dangerous and drugs are still actively promoted? It does not make sense, right? It makes a lot of sense if you are part of a multi-billion drug manufacturing industry. Why should these behemoths want you to shift to the overly safe and beneficial herbal and all-natural products? Who will then buy the drugs they manufacture?

Now – do you get the clear picture, yet?

]]> http://www.freeexamjacksonville.com/chiropractic-blog/the-dangers-of-visceral-fat-%e2%80%93-facts-that-could-save-your-life-2/feed/ 0 http://www.freeexamjacksonville.com/chiropractic-blog/the-dangers-of-visceral-fat-%e2%80%93-facts-that-could-save-your-life/ http://www.freeexamjacksonville.com/chiropractic-blog/the-dangers-of-visceral-fat-%e2%80%93-facts-that-could-save-your-life/#comments Tue, 07 Aug 2012 05:45:47 +0000 admin http://www.freeexamjacksonville.com/chiropractic-blog/?p=131 Overweight and obesity are among the most common health problems in the USA; these are also among the leading causes for illness and death. Most people do not think much about moderate weight gain during their middle age, especially at the waist because they attribute it to aging.

Studies shows however that visceral fat (fat in the tummy) is far more dangerous to your health than regular subcutaneous fat. The visceral fat is abundant in bodies that are apple shaped; the bodies that are pear shaped show subcutaneous fat. Various research reports have pointed that visceral fat is directly linked to a number of serious ailments such as type-2 diabetes, heart and circulatory problems. Particularly in women, it can lead to serious gallbladder problems and breast cancer.

How Visceral Fat Is So Harmful To The Body?

There are many factors that can explain the harmful effects the visceral fat has on the body:

1. Close contact to the portal vein – the portal vein is that which carries blood to the liver from the intestinal area. The visceral fat releases a number of compounds that enter the portal vein and through it reach the liver. These compounds interfere heavily with the function of the liver, which in turn affects the production of blood lipids, (bad) cholesterol, and insulin.

2. Interferes with hormones – visceral fat –and the substances they produce in the abdomen – affects the function and production of hormones in the body. With hormonal imbalance comes a host of other ailments – such as production of insulin, blood clotting factor, and so on.

3. Threat to heart and blood circulation–the visceral fat produces a number of substances, among which are cytokines, which are known to increase risk to heart related problems.

What Can Be Done About It?
UAB News Archive. Exercise Keeps Dangerous Visceral Fat Away a Year After Weight Loss, Finds UAB Study. Birmingham University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Human Studies.28 October 2009. http://main.uab.edu/Sites/MediaRelations/articles/70473/
The Harvard Medical School Family Guide.Abdominal fat and what to do about it. February 2007. http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/Abdominal-fat-and-what-to-do-about-it.shtml

The good news is that this fat is easier to remove that the regular fat that accumulates in the body. According to studies carried out by University of Alabama, Birmingham as little as 30 minutes of exercise per day can melt away this fat and with it all the threats it generates. Strength training exercises have been identified as the best ones to get to the abdomen fat. Of course, diet also plays a huge role here. It is advised that a shift to vegetable-based low carbohydrate high protein diet. These two simple steps could literally save your life.

]]> http://www.freeexamjacksonville.com/chiropractic-blog/the-dangers-of-visceral-fat-%e2%80%93-facts-that-could-save-your-life/feed/ 0 http://www.freeexamjacksonville.com/chiropractic-blog/a-drug-epidemic-%e2%80%93-are-you-a-drug-addict/ http://www.freeexamjacksonville.com/chiropractic-blog/a-drug-epidemic-%e2%80%93-are-you-a-drug-addict/#comments Mon, 06 Aug 2012 08:15:42 +0000 admin http://www.freeexamjacksonville.com/chiropractic-blog/?p=120 According to a recent report of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA1 about 40,000 people die every year in the USA of prescription opiate drug overdose. Used as painkillers, and prescribed freely by the doctors these drugs are costing health insurers about $73 billion every year.
The most unfortunate thing is that the people who died from overdose of these opium-based drugs are not even aware that they have become drug- addicts. There are more deaths reported from overdosing with prescription opium-based drugs than from heroin and cocaine abuse. Things have gotten so bad in the state of Florida, that statistics show that in 2009, nearly 70% of all prescriptions for the drug Lortab, where written in Florida. Florida became the pill-mill capital of the United States. At one point in time, people were taking buses from several states away to Florida, and receiving prescriptions from several different pill-mills before returning home. Most of these people had their own addiction. They were also selling these narcotics to support their habits.

How Do People Become Drug-Addicts?

It all starts with a painkiller prescription. The patient finds relief and uses the prescribed opiate drug whenever the pain strikes again. The pain is controlled for a while, and then re-occurs when the doctor would increase the dose of the drug, which works. Over a few months use, the patient has become an addict and even if there is no pain, will seek to take drug. The point is that once addiction sets in, the dosage would have to be increased to get relief and hence, very subtly the patient starts overdosing. This leads to death.

Why This Happens?

In some cases, this happens because the doctors find it easier to prescribe a pain-killing drug rather than go for a battery of tests to find out the underlying problem. In some case, this happens because the patient insists on something that provides immediate relief and when the doctor prescribes the opiate medicine, they increase the dosage without consulting their doctor. In most cases, it is a combined scene where both the doctor and patient seek a shortcut solution to the problem.

1 Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention. Prescription Painkiller Overdoses:
Methadone. Last updated on 5 July 2012 – http://www.cdc.gov/Features/VitalSigns/
MethadoneOverdoses/
2 Huffington Post Health News. The New Drugging of America by Susana Duncan, MD. 23 June 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-duncan/prescription-drug-addiction_b_1621484.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

How Can It Be Prevented?

• First of all be aware that the ALL opium-based painkiller are addictive.
• Be very cautious when you take any opium-based painkiller.
• Insist to know the underlying cause for your pain rather than be satisfied with the superficial cure.
• Take a second and even a third opinion when the pain is bad and take painkiller on only when strictly necessary.
• Always consult your doctor before increasing the dosage of these drugs. Remember, overdosing kills.
• Look for all natural cures – with herbal/ Ayurvedic/ Homeopathic treatments.
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