My Aching Neck! Can Chiropractic Help?

13 Oct

Similar to back pain, neck pain affects almost all of us at some point in life, and the severity can range from a mild stiffness to complete incapacitation. Chiropractic care offers a non-drug, non-surgical method of treatment that MANY neck pain sufferers utilize and benefit from. The following is a description of what you can expect when treated with an evidence-based chiropractic approach.

Let’s first discuss the different types of neck pain. One classification system divides neck pain into two main groups: acute and chronic. In the acute group, there is an onset of pain that comes on quickly and resolves in less than three months. Chronic neck pain represents the patients who continue to have neck pain longer than three months.

Studies show that patients experience immediate benefits—including pain reduction and mobility/range of motion (ROM) improvement—following cervical spinal manipulation, especially when administered on the same side as the neck pain. Short and medium-term benefits include pain reduction and ROM improvement when administered bilaterally (on both sides).

Multiple manipulations may be better than unsupervised stretching alone. However, studies show that stretching the neck muscles both before and after manipulation can improve a patient’s outcome. The combination of three-point traction and multiple manipulations can improve pain in the medium and long-term as well.

Other approaches commonly used by chiropractors that immediately improve pain include mobilization, traction, trigger-point therapy (applying pressure over myofascial trigger points for 90 seconds), cervical pillows, and some modalities that include electric stimulation, ultrasound, low-powered laser, and pulsed electromagnetic field.

Active care or care that can be taught to patients includes exercise intended to improve pain and ROM in the medium and long-term. Exercises that emphasize strength and endurance can also be beneficial. Ongoing light and intensive exercise improves pain in the long-term and intensive exercise is favored in the medium-term.

FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 717-697-1888

Dr. Brent Binder
4909 Louise Drive, Suite 102
Mechanicsburg Pa, 17055

Member of Chiro-Trust.org

 This information should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all healthcare concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a healthcare professional who is familiar with your updated medical history.

The Most Important Principles for Staying Young: The Minimum Physical Activity For Maximum Health

10 Oct

Our basic premise is that your body is amazing.  You get a do over. It doesn’t take that long, and it isn’t that hard if you know what to do.  In these notes, we give you a short course in what to do so it becomes easy for you and for you to teach others. We want you to know how much control you have over both the quality and length of your life.

This month, we’re talking about data from an exciting new study published in The BMJ (formerly, the British Medical Journal) that shows just how important physical activity is for building up your defenses against serious disease and how it can make your RealAge younger. We’re bragging here, but it almost exactly confirms data, action steps, and recommendations we had in the RealAge program when it was first released in December 1998 and the same conclusions about the minimum activity you have to do for maximum health benefit in the first RealAge: Are You As Young As You Can Be? book published in 1999! (Yes, I am proud; the book was a #1 NY Times Bestseller!).

After examining 174 studies that looked at the effect of physical activity on breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, researchers  from the University of Washington discovered that the minimum activity for maximum health benefits comes from about 4,200 MET minutes a week, or translated to our terms, from just 10,000 steps a day, 30 minutes of resistance training (moving weights against gravity—moving your weight against gravity counts), and 20 minutes three times a week of sweating activity (cardio).  With that you get about 4,200 MET activity minutes a week (see below for understanding MET minutes)—making those cancers, heart disease, and stroke 25 percent less likely. Those benefits are in addition to how effective consistent physical activity (with a touch of sweat please!) is in protecting your brain, enhancing your sex life, and reducing your risk for obesity and all its related woes.

If you have gotten the message, “Stand up, move, walk, play, get active,” congratulations! Back in 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that only about 20 percent of you met the minimal guidelines for physical activity that decreases risk for these chronic diseases by about 5 percent—barely more than 20 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a day. And we may have gotten worse, the recent NHAENS data from over 50,000 Americans show that less than 60% are getting even 100 MET minutes a week or less than 10 minutes of walking 7 days a week.

Measuring Your Activity Level: Meet MET

The activity gauge the researchers used to evaluate the benefits of kickin’ up your heels is called MET (Metabolic Equivalent Task), an approximate measure of how many calories are burned during any given activity. The World Health Organization recommends that adults get in a minimum of 600 MET minutes weekly—or about 30 minutes of moderate activity daily. Walking at a pace of two-and-a-half mph has a designated MET of 3. If you walk for 30 minutes, multiply 30 by 3—your MET minutes equal 90.  If you jog a 12-minute-mile, your MET is 8 for each minute. Do that for 15 minutes and you’ve racked up 120 MET minutes.

But More…and More…Is Even Better

The researchers also discovered that increasing your MET minutes from 600 to 3,600 a week reduces the risk of diabetes by an additional 19 percent, breast cancer by 14 percent, colon cancer by 21 percent, heart disease by 25 percent, and stroke by 26 percent. And you don’t have to spend six times as much time working out to hit 3,600 METS—you just have to get smart about it by choosing activities that have higher MET values and adding a bit more time.

We’re particularly fond of a walking routine that incorporates interval training. We recommend puff-hard-can’t-talk effort with periods of recovery: Step up your walking pace for four minutes, then take it easy, walking more slowly for three minutes. During your 30 to 60 minute walk, you can repeat this sequence at least two to three times.

But while that’s substantial, we know you can do even more—and get even more life-improving results! You see, in the study, the disease-risk-reducing benefits of increased activity really reached it’s maximum benefit near 4,200 MET minutes a week—or about the RealAge ideal of 10,000 steps (including 20 min of cardio activity that you can get with interval walking) and 40 jumps a day, plus 30 min or more of resistance training, using light hand weights or stretch bands, every week.  Beyond 8,000 MET minutes a week, you get no further health benefit (though you will get fitter), but 8,000 MET minutes gives you only 2% more benefit than 4,200!

So how can you start?  We recommend you write yourself a prescription with the following action steps:

  • Buy two pedometers (so you’ll always have one),
  • Some great walking shoes, and
  • Find a walking buddy. Just start walking.  You can do it.
  • Start scheduling physical activity into your daily calendar—Do It, and keep doing it!
  • Start seeing if you are hitting the 10K a day minimum for maximum health. If not, increase walking by 10K more each week (each day of the week should be 10 minutes or 5% more than the previous week’s average) till you get to 10K.
  • Buy a jump rope and start learning how to do 20 jumps every morning before you start your car.
  • Get up from your desk and walk for two minutes every hour.

And how can you step it up? Do start measuring all your activities including walking, stair climbing, vacuuming, gardening, running, and cycling. Then do the math. You can get a complete MET chart if you google “NCI MET chart” (NCI is the National Cancer Institute). Add up your achievements (it may surprise you how much you do already). By the end of the week, you’ll see just how great you feel when you meet the RealAge ideal of 4,200 MET minutes or even more every seven days!

Thanks for reading. Feel free to send questions—to youdocs@gmail.com, and some of them we may know enough to answer (we’ll try to get answers for you if we do not know).

Young Dr Mike Roizen (aka, The Enforcer)

 

NOTE: You should NOT take this as medical advice. This article is of the opinion of its author. Before you do anything, please consult with your doctor.

You can follow Dr Roizen on twitter @YoungDrMike (and get updates on the latest and most important medical stories of the week).  The YOU docs have tow newly revised books: The patron saint “book” of this column YOU Staying Young—revised and YOU: The Owner’s Manual…revised —yes a revision of the book that started Dr Oz to being Dr Oz.  These makes great gifts—so do YOU: ON a Diet and YOU: The Owner’s Manual for teens.  And, the new book by Dr Mike Roizen: This is YOUR Do-Over

Michael F. Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer and chair of the Wellness Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. His radio show streams live on http://www.radioMD.com Saturdays from 5-7 p.m. He is the co-author of 4 #1 NY Times Best Sellers including: YOU Staying Young.

The Thyroid and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – Are They Related?

6 Oct

What does the thyroid gland have to do with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)? The short answer is, a lot! But the “how” requires a more detailed explanation…

The carpal tunnel is made up of eight small bones in the wrist that form a tunnel, with the “floor” of the tunnel located on the palm side of the wrist. CTS is caused by the median nerve getting pinched as it travels through the carpal tunnel, which results in numbness and tingling into the middle three fingers (index, third, and fourth) initially, and usually weakness of the grip later.

The thyroid gland is located at the base of the neck just below the “Adam’s Apple” (which is really thyroid cartilage). There are two “lobes” located on either side of the windpipe (trachea), and a small bridge of thyroid tissue crosses over the front connecting the two lobes (called the “isthmus”) in most of us.

The thyroid belongs to the endocrine system, which is controlled by the pituitary or “master” gland that is located inside the head. These glands secrete hormones into the bloodstream that influence the body in a variety of ways. Some of the other “members” of the endocrine system include the adrenals, the parathyroid, the gonads (testicles or ovaries), the insulin producing part of the pancreas, the mammary glands, and more. Think of the endocrine system as a “team” and the pituitary gland as the “coach.”

The thyroid’s role on the endocrine “team” is to release hormones (primarily T3 and T4) that regulate our metabolism/metabolic rate (digestion, heart rate, breathing, body temperature, etc.).

It’s been known for a long time that thyroid disease—particularly low thyroid function—increases one’s risk for developing CTS. One thought is that the type of swelling that occurs with hypothyroid (called “myxedema”) places enough pressure on the median nerve to pinch it, resulting in the classic signs and symptoms of CTS.

More recently, researchers used ultrasound to measure the size of the median nerve (called the cross-sectional area or CSA) in 30 patients with newly diagnosed primary hypothyroidism and comparable “normal” controls (similar size/BMI, similar gender, and age). In those with hypothyroidism, the cross sectional size of the median nerve was larger than those measured in the normal group, and four of the hypothyroid patients already began experiencing CTS signs and symptoms. After receiving treatment to restore their thyroid levels, both the size of the median nerve was reduced and the symptoms that were present resolved within three months.

This study points out the significant relationship between the thyroid and its effect on CTS. Doctors of chiropractic treat the mechanical causes of CTS very successfully, but they may rely on the expertise of a “team” of healthcare providers to treat the patient when necessary.

FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 717-697-1888

Dr. Brent Binder
 4909 Louise Drive, Suite 102
Mechanicsburg Pa, 17055

Member of Chiro-Trust.org

 

 This information should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all healthcare concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a healthcare professional who is familiar with your updated medical history.

 

Chronic Low Back Pain: Which Treatment Is More Effective?

3 Oct

For patients with chronic low back pain (cLBP), treatment guidelines recommend a non-surgical approach as the FIRST-LINE treatment. Ideally, the goal would be to avoid an initial surgery unless it’s absolutely indicated. That means, unless there is loss of bowel or bladder control or retention (which represents a medical emergency) or if there is progressive neurological motor and sensory loss, one can safely avoid surgery and conservatively manage the condition.

Interestingly enough, a systematic review of the results from three randomized controlled studies carried out in Norway and the United Kingdom found the outcomes or results between the surgical fusion vs. non-surgical treatment of patients with cLBP showed NO DIFFERENCE at an 11-year follow-up!

Studies have shown chiropractic to be highly beneficial for acute and chronic low back pain cases. In one study, researchers reviewed data on 72,326 cLBP patients in the Medicare system who received one of four possible treatment combinations between 2006 and 2012: 1) chiropractic only; 2) chiropractic followed by conventional medical care (CMC); 3) CMC followed by chiropractic; 4) CMC alone.

The research team found that chiropractic care alone (group 1) resulted in the lowest costs, and these patients had lower rates of back surgery and shorter episodes of care.

The group receiving CMC alone (group 4) had the highest costs, with the second and third groups being similar—both costing less and being more effective than CMC alone.

The conclusion of the study reads, “These findings support initial CMT [chiropractic manipulative therapy] use in the treatment of, and possibly broader chiropractic management of, older multiply-comorbid cLBP patients.”

FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 717-697-1888

 

Dr. Brent Binder
4909 Louise Drive, Suite 102
Mechanicsburg Pa, 17055

Member of Chiro-Trust.org

 

This information should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all healthcare concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a healthcare professional who is familiar with your updated medical history.

Meditation and Chiropractic

22 Sep

With growing evidence that meditation has significant health benefits, a 2016 study by a team of researchers from the United States, Spain, and France sought to explain how and why meditation actually works.

The study investigated the difference between “mindful meditation” in a group of experienced meditators vs. “quiet non-meditative activity” in a group of untrained control subjects. After eight hours of mindfulness practice, the meditation group showed a range of genetic and molecular differences, which in turn correlated with faster physical recovery from a stressful situation.

According to researchers, this is the first time a study has documented a rapid alteration in gene expression within meditating subjects. Interestingly, the researchers observed these changes in the SAME genes that anti-inflammatory and pain-killing drugs target! Thus, they speculate that mindful-based training may benefit patients with inflammatory conditions! This and prior studies have prompted the American Heart Association to endorse meditation as an effective cardiac preventative intervention.

Meditation has been found to be helpful for many conditions including stress management, lowering high blood pressure, heart disease, and depression. You can incorporate meditation into your life with three simple meditation exercises! The initial advice is “…go slow and be compassionate and gentle with yourself.” Your mind will try to wander (called our “default mode”) which consumes about half of our day, so try to focus (called “focus mode”)!

  1. WALKING MEDITATION: At a slow to medium pace, focus on your feet. Notice how your heel hits the ground and then feel the roll of your foot followed by the big toe pushing off prior to the swing phase. Feel for stones under the foot and other interesting sensations. If your mind starts to wander (default mode), gently bring your attention back to your foot (focus mode). You WILL get better with practice, and you’ll soon find it much easier to “focus” during stressful situations!
  2. NOVEL EXPERIENCES: It’s much easier to lose focus on the people you see everyday vs. those seen only one time a month. The next time you arrive home from work, pretend you haven’t seen your spouse/friend in 30 days. Give them your undivided attention. Then, try this on co-workers and other people you see every day. Believe me, they WILL notice a difference!
  3. GRATITUDE EXERCISES: When you’re not in their presence, focus on a person’s face and send them a “silent gratitude” for being in your life. Try this on family members, friends, co-workers, and others!

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs.  If you, a friend, or family member requires care, we would be honored to render our services.

  YOU MAY BE A CANDIDATE FOR CHIROPRACTIC CARE! FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 717-697-1888

Low Speed Collisions – Where Does All That Energy Go?

20 Sep

You may have heard the comment, “If there’s no damage to the car, then there’s no injury.” Unfortunately, that does not always seem to be the case.

There are MANY factors that affect the dynamics of a collision and whether or not injury occurs. A short list includes: vehicle type and design, speed, angle of collision, momentum, acceleration factors, friction, kinetic and potential energy, height, weight, muscle mass, seat back angle and spring, head position upon impact, etc.

Consider Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion: “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” This law applies to a car accident at any speed. Using the analogy of hitting a pool ball into the corner pocket straight on, when the cue ball stops, its momentum is transferred to the target ball which accelerates at the same speed…hopefully into the corner pocket!

This example is not quite the same as an automobile collision because the energy transfer is very efficient due in part to the two pool balls not deforming (crushing or breaking) on impact with one another. If either ball did deform, more energy absorption would occur and the acceleration of the second ball would be lower.

In fact, in the United States, vehicle bumpers are tested at 2.5 mph with impact equipment of similar mass with the test vehicle’s brakes disengaged and the transmission in neutral. National Highway Transportation Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) vehicle safety standards demand that no damage should occur to the car in this scenario.

However, energy transfer occurs very quickly and with a greater amount of force when there is no vehicle deformation (damage). As a result, a greater amount of energy (described as G-force) is directly transferred to the occupants inside the vehicle—increasing the risk of injury. A 1997 Society of Automobile Engineers article provided an example in which the same 25 mph (12 m/s) collision resulted in a five-times greater force on the occupants of the vehicle when the crush distance of the impact fell from 1 meter to .2 meters.

So be aware that even low-speed impacts can still place quite a bit of force on your body, even if the bumper of your car doesn’t have a scratch on it.

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs.  If you, a friend, or family member requires care for Whiplash, we would be honored to render our services.

YOU MAY BE A CANDIDATE FOR CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR WHIPLASH! FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 717-697-1888

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