Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Chiropractic Myth Buster! Why You Should NOT Believe Chiropractic Can Help Relieve Back or Neck Pain



            Chiropractors say they can help relieve back pain.  They also say they can help neck pain and headaches… and, of course that their treatments are safe an effective.

            Well, should you believe them?

            The answer is NO!  Here's why…

            Have you ever seen the popular television show Mythbusters?  If you have, you know the show is designed to take common myths and test them scientifically to determine if they are fact of fiction.

            Many times, the things we are told as children and believe growing up turn out to be nothing more than urban legends or old wives tails.  

            For example, just about everyone struggles with weight at one time or another in their lives.  Very few people have “perfect” physiques – and the ones who do usually eat like birds and workout 7 days a week!

            The worst part about maintaining weight is this:  It is much easier to gain weight than it is to lose it.

            Right?  Everyone know that.

            Well, “Everyone” is wrong!

Here are the facts about
weight gain and weight loss:

It is mathematically easier to lose than to gain. 

For example, if you eat 3,500 calories more than you burn, you will gain 0.3 pounds (0.14 kg), but if you burn 3,500 calories more than you eat, you will lose 1 pound (0.45 kg). 
Also, if you want to lose weight, you can expose yourself to significant changes in temperature which speeds up your metabolism. Finally, the above information is based on a pure fat diet – variations to the math occur when you introduce other types of food.

Now, it may be more difficult to eat right than to eat bad – but that is a different story. 
 
You see, we only “believe” when we do not have proof.  That’s what faith is all about.  But, if we have solid evidence, we don’t have to  “believe.” 

That’s why you should not “believe” in Chiropractic.

Why do you think Chiropractic has been accepted into mainstream medicine?  Modern physicians don’t believe in Chiropractic… they know it works.

 Chiropractic has not been a “belief” for quite a while.  Check out what these experts had to say… and look at the dates…

“There is an overwhelming body of evidence indicating that Chiropractic management of low back pain is more cost-effective than medical management… Chiropractic manipulation is safer than medical management of low back pain.  Chiropractic management is greatly superior to medical management in terms of scientific validity, safety, cost-effectiveness and patient satisfaction.”
Pran Manga, PhD.  
The Effectiveness And Cost Effectiveness Of Chiropractic Management Of Low Back Pain.  University Of Ottowa, 1993
“There are more than 30 randomized controlled clinical trials studying the effectiveness of spinal manipulation in the relief of spinal pain, the majority of which have looked at acute low back pain.  Manipulation has been compared to most non-surgical treatment modalities including placebo, ultrasound, traction, exercise, bed rest, analgesics and corsets.  The meta-analyses performed by Anderson et al led to the conclusion that the average patient receiving spinal manipulation is better off than 54 to 85% of the patients receiving the comparison treatment.”
Dr. Scott Halderman, M.D., D.C., PhD., FRCP(C), Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine.  Presented at the Alternative And Complementary Medicine And The Orthopedic Surgeon, February, 28, 2001

Clearly, Chiropractic is not a belief system.  New research comes out every year and Chiropractic is part of many mainstream and progressive medical practices and hospitals.

Sure, there are some people (and even Doctors) who still believe in old urban legends and wives tails simply because, “that’s the way it’s always been.”

Then, there are the open-minded people who have the ability to change their mind when the facts are presented to them.  Many of these people usually find a solution for their back pain in a Chiropractic office.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Getting Rid of Back Pain

Doctors of chiropractic spend years in chiropractic college learning to manipulate the spine, but that's certainly not all they learn. Chiropractors are effective at relieving back pain because they know that long-term solutions come from taking a well-rounded approach to dealing with the problem.
A study involving 147 patients (101 of whom were classified as "disabled" from car accidents or work-related back injuries) provides evidence of the effectiveness of this approach to managing back pain. Patients participated in a four-phase rehabilitation program consisting of:
1) chiropractic treatments, including spinal adjustments, ultrasound therapy, and TENS (electrical stimulation of the muscles), along with cardiovascular exercises;
2) isometric strength training;
3) resistance weight training; and
4) education on back pain, including strategies for coping with pain, relaxation techniques, etc.
After nine weeks of rehabilitation, patients reported decreases in pain and disability compared with pre-rehabilitation measurements. Strength, flexibility and range of motion were also higher, and most significantly, 91 of the 101 disabled patients were able to return to work.
So if back pain's got you down, get up and take a trip to your doctor of chiropractic. You'll get a comprehensive, caring approach that's sure to help you get back on your feet.
Reference:
Guerriero RC, Rawani M, Gray E, et al. A retrospective study of the effectiveness of physical rehabilitation of low back pain patients in a multidisciplinary setting. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, June 1999: Vol. 43, No. 2, pp89-103.