Health & Chiro Articles

An article in the September 4, 2008 Market Watch by the The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress reported on how chiropractic care was helping disabled war veterans competing in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon Series. The group of disabled veterans, known as “Team Semper Fi,” came forward to validate the value of chiropractic care in improving their ability to compete against able-bodied athletes. The event involved swimming against the fierce currents from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco; biking 18 miles; and running eight miles in a triathlon.

The article notes that Team Semper Fi is a sports program designed to help rehabilitate injured Marines and Sailors. Each month, team members compete in triathlons, venture races, marathons, and 10k races. They compete against a variety of professional athletes, amateurs, and beginners, both disabled and able-bodied athletes.

Iraq war veteran, Eric Frazier, the team’s leading hand cyclist who suffered a paralyzing injury to the spinal cord and now uses his hands and arms to propel his cycle, commented, “Competing in these events has actually made my life ten times better and has given me tremendous self-worth. After any race, my upper body is in pain because I do it all with my hands and arms. Following chiropractic care, I find that I perform better.”

Dan Lasko, who lost his left leg below the knee in two IED (Improvised Exploding Device) roadside explosions while serving in the U.S. armed forces during the war on terror in Afghanistan, added, “With my injury and a prosthetic leg, my back is always in pain. But when it comes to triathlons, chiropractic has helped out tremendously, I see my chiropractor before the event and a few days later, it just makes me a better athlete overall.”

Dr. Morgan, a chiropractor who cares for these athletes and is the staff chiropractor for the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, and affiliate chiropractor at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, showed his respect by saying, “I salute the brave fighters who have overcome so much to compete in these athletic events. I can think of no greater honor than to provide care for those injured while in the service of their country.”

In December 2001 informational releases from both the International Chiropractors Association (ICA), and the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), comes articles with tips for consumers this holiday season. The ACA warns, “Winter recreational activities and chores can pose problems for the outdoor enthusiast whose body is not in condition.” The ACA article stresses the importance of warm-ups prior to winter activities or sports. “Simply put, warming up is essential,” says Olympic speed skater Derek Parra, gold medal winner in the 1500 meters at last weekend’s World Cup event in the Netherlands. “In fact, when pressed for time, it’s better to shorten the length of your workout and keep a good warm-up than to skip the warm-up and dive right into the workout.”

The article from the ICA starts by saying, “With Thanksgiving 2001 behind us and the holiday season in full swing, it is important to your good health to take a few simple steps to reduce the stress and strain of this busy time. This is especially important in light of the added anxiety we are all feeling as a result of the September 11th tragedies.” The article also stresses the importance of good spinal health by adding, “Lift packages, firewood, your frozen holiday turkey and other heavy items with your legs, not your back. When lifting, hold objects close to your body; rather than flexing forward, maintain a slight arch in your lower back and bend at the knees before standing up with the object. That way, the lifting is done primarily with the strong muscles of the legs supporting the load. Don’t wait until you are hurting to see your doctor of chiropractic. Chiropractic adjustments can keep you going at your peak and help you get extra enjoyment from the holiday season.”

The most important things over the holidays are family and good health. Chiropractic has been doing its part for over 100 years to help ensure the good health of families. We do this by working to keep the nervous system free of interference from subluxations. If your nervous system functions free from interference, your entire body works better. Basically, this means that your holidays are much better without subluxations. So keep well adjusted over the holidays.

A research report from the November 8, 2006 issue of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research shows the benefits of chiropractic care for patients suffering from vertigo. In this study 60 patients who were diagnosed by their medical physicians as having various forms of vertigo, received chiropractic care and the results were documented and published.

Vertigo is a condition characterized by dizziness with a sensation of spinning. Because of the feeling of movement or rotation, many sufferers also feel nausea and can experience lightheadedness and balance problems. The diagnosis of vertigo is typically based on the symptoms of the patients as there are not specific lab tests and the patients may have a variety of situations that seem to be related. In this study, the nervous system was looked to for a causal relationship.

Of the 60 patients in this study, 56 reported having some form of physical trauma prior to the onset of their vertigo. Of these 25 had reported having automobile accidents, 16 had suffered a sports injury including skiing, bicycling, or horseback riding, and 6 slipped and fell on ice. It was noted that all of these individual’s suffered trauma to either their head or neck area.

Upon initial examinations of the subjects, it was reported that vertebral subluxations were found in all 60 patients. Analysis procedures using paraspinal digital infrared imaging and laser-aligned radiography, were performed in order to have a consistent means of measuring subluxation findings and progress of correction.

Specific chiropractic care for the correction of subluxations was rendered to all 60 subjects in this study. The results showed that all of the patients in this study responded positively to the chiropractic care. The time frame for the responses varied from between one and 6 months. Of the original 60 patients, 48 were totally symptom free within six months. The remaining 12 patients had also shown good improvement by either decreases in severity or frequency in episodes of vertigo.

In the conclusion, the author of the study noted, “A causal link between trauma-induced upper cervical (neck) injury and the onset of vertigo appears to exist. Correcting the injury to the upper cervical spine through the use of IUCCA protocol (a form of chiropractic care) appears to improve and/or reverse vertigo disorders.”

A news release from the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) on February 5, 2010 also printed on the EarthTimes website opens with the statement, “For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, will include chiropractic care inside the Olympic Village Polyclinic, a multi-disciplinary facility that offers comprehensive health care and medical services.”

The release notes that chiropractors have been part of the Olympic games by helping athletes as part of their individual country’s healthcare staffs. However, this time in addition to the chiropractors from the individual nations, chiropractic care will be offered by the host nation of Canada at the Polyclinic which is open for all athletes from around the world.

The F4CP release notes that throughout the years, chiropractic has become a mainstay in the care of world-class athletes, leading to a growing number of doctors of chiropractic included in the Olympic Games. Countless athletes attribute the care they receive from their chiropractors, working along-side other health care professionals, as a key to properly preparing their bodies to perform optimally.

The release also reports that chiropractic care has experienced several major moments in Olympic history. The first may well have been when a chiropractor, Dr. Leroy Perry, provided chiropractic care to athletes representing Antigua during the 1976 Games in Montreal, Canada. The F4CP also noted that during the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, NY, another chiropractor, Dr. George Goodheart, became the first official chiropractor appointed to the U.S. Olympic team. Since then each subsequent Olympic Games and Pan American Games, the U.S. teams, along with a growing number of other national teams, have included at least one doctor of chiropractic on their medical staff.

Dr. Bill Moreau, a chiropractor recently promoted to the Director of Sports Medicine Clinics for the US Olympic Committee, stated, “Inclusion inside the Polyclinic is another major milestone for the chiropractic profession, and we are grateful to the Host City of Vancouver, the head of Medical Services at the Polyclinic, Jack Taunton, M.D., and to Robert Armitage, D.C., who helped make this possible.”

Published in the September 2010 issue of the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, is a case study documenting the improvement with chiropractic, of a young boy suffering from headaches, neck pain, asthma, and reading disabilities. In this case the 10-year-old boy was a poor reader and suffered eye strain while reading. He also exhibited poor memory of classroom material, and was unable to move easily from one line of text to another during reading. The case documented that he was taking 4 medications for the asthma but still suffered problems during exercise.

This elementary school student was brought to the chiropractor with a history of neck pain and headaches for the previous 3 years. Using a numeric pain scale the young boy drew out a pain scale where he rated his pain at 5 out of 10 for both his neck pain and headaches. When asked how many days per week he suffered from headaches, he responded by reporting having headaches 3 or 4 days per week.

The history showed that 3 years ago, just prior to the start of his headaches and neck pain, the boy suffered an accident when he was wrestling with his sister. The patient had tumbled backward from a seated position and landed on his chest causing his neck to be excessively bent forward. In the following 3 weeks the boy suffered from neck spasms, and his mother noted that his headache problem began at this time. Because he was already suffering from other health issues such as asthma, no specific treatment was sought for his neck and headache problems.

Some of the boy’s chronic conditions included episodes of severe asthma associated with nasal allergies and sinus problems. He was unable to participate in organized sports because he could not run and play without wheezing requiring medications.

The results this boy experienced with chiropractic care were life changing. At the end of his first treatment, the boy reported that his headaches were gone. After only 5 visits the boy reported that all of his symptoms were gone and he gave a score of 0 of 10 on his head and neck pain using the numeric pain scale. The author noted that, “the patient showed improvement in his reading ability, head and neck pain, and respiratory distress. His ability to read improved, performing at his own grade level. He has remained symptom free for 2 years.”

A perspective article published on April 8, 2009 in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), raises the idea of adding an additional tax on high sugar drinks. The NEJM article notes that sugared drinks may represent the single largest contributor to the obesity epidemic in the United States. They identify drinks such as soda sweetened with sugar, corn syrup, or other sweeteners and other carbonated and uncarbonated drinks, such as sports and energy drinks.

The authors of the NEJM article note that there are some studies that do not connect these drinks with obesity. However, they dismiss these objections by noting, “Studies that do not support a relationship between consumption of sugared beverages and health outcomes tend to be conducted by authors supported by the beverage industry.”

The NEJM article and several new articles in the general media report that currently 40 states now have taxes on soft drinks or snack foods, but that these taxes are small and do not affect the consumption of these beverages. However, ABC news reported in an April 8, 2009 news story that the governor of New York was proposing an 18 percent tax on sugared beverages.

The ABC article addresses the question if higher taxes would lower the consumption of sugared drinks by looking at the example of tobacco. Increased taxes on tobacco have been credited with dramatically lowering usage. They then claim that economic studies on soft drinks show that a 15 percent tax on sugared beverages should drop consumption by 12 to 15 percent, and higher taxes would have stronger effects.

The authors of the NEJM article summed up their conclusions by stating, “A penny-per-ounce excise tax could reduce consumption of sugared beverages by more than 10%. It is difficult to imagine producing behavior change of this magnitude through education alone, even if government devoted massive resources to the task. In contrast, a sales tax on sugared drinks would generate considerable revenue, and as with the tax on tobacco, it could become a key tool in efforts to improve health.”

A story in the July 2004 issue of Chiropractic Economics magazine reported on a July 6, 2004 press release from the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC). The USOC press release stated, “A 47-person medical staff has been announced by the U.S. Olympic Committee to provide health care for more than 540 American athletes in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. The USA Medical staff consists of medical doctors, certified athletic trainers, massage therapists, chiropractors and pharmaceutical experts.”

Notable is the fact that two chiropractors were included in this list. Dr. Ira A. Shapiro of Old Bridge, N.J., and Dr. Marc P. Jaffe of Summit, N.J., are the chiropractors who were selected to join the other health professionals who will care for more than 540 American athletes in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens Aug. 13 through Aug. 29, 2004.

The Chiropractic Economics article notes that these Doctors of Chiropractic are only the eighth and ninth chiropractors ever selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee to represent the United States at any Olympic event in an official capacity.

In order to be selected, Drs. Shapiro and Jaffe had to pass an initial assessment process. They were then allowed to adjust athletes at several events prior to the Olympics. Dr. Shapiro worked with nearly 200 American athletes at the 2003 Titan Games in San Jose, Calif., while Dr. Jaffe worked with more than 150 American athletes at the 2003 Summer World University Games in Daegu, South Korea.

Chiropractic has been used by athletes for some time to not only help them when they may be injured, but more importantly to help maximize their performance abilities.

Jim Scherr, the USOC’s chief executive and chief of sports performance, speaking in generic terms about all the care the athletes will receive stated, “We feel that our athletes get the best medical care in the world. We go to every length to care for these athletes who have accomplished their goals to get here. We want to make sure they take that next step with the best medical care available.”

The above is the headline of a feature story that appeared in the August 11, 2006 issue of the Post-Crescent, a local news service for the Appleton, Wisconsin area. The article written by their staff writer, Wendy Harris, takes an overview look at the chiropractic profession and interviews two local chiropractors as sources of information.

The article starts out by chronicling the story of a young middle school girl named Rachel who had been suffering from frequent migraines. Her mother, concerned for her daughter took her to a chiropractor who upon examination discovered that Rachel had several congenitally fused bones in her neck. Apparently these bones had also moved and were irritating nerves and creating young Rachel’s problems.

The article then fast forwards to Rachel at 29 and notes that even with her congenital defects she is virtually migraine free, suffering only one or two episodes per year. The article notes that Rachel credits her chiropractor. “I used to get migraines at least once a month, and sometimes three times a week,” states Rachel. “They are really infrequent now. My last migraine was six months ago.”

Wendy Harris, the author of the article, notes that chiropractic is presently the United State’s third largest primary health care profession. Only medicine and dentistry have more practitioners. She also noted that according to the Annals of Internal Medicine, there are approximately 190 million patient visits to chiropractors each year.

The article also quotes Dr. Mark Hallett, a family practice and sports medicine physician who is also medical director of ThedaCare Orthopedics Plus in Appleton Wisconsin. He states, “There have been more studies that have come out documenting the effectiveness of chiropractic and the cost effectiveness of it.” The article notes that the result of this is that medical doctors are increasingly referring patients to chiropractors.