Time to Be Pain Free » Southwest Florida Chiropractor

Fish Oil for Neurogenic Pain

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:41:17 +0000

Neuropathic pain is a chronic pain state that can be caused by trauma to the nerve tissue. In most cases the nerve fibers are often damaged or inflamed and because of this, the nerves are sending incorrect signals to the brain’s pain centers. Neuropathic pain is initially hard to diagnose, however, treatment can be as simple as taking an Omega-3 fish oil supplement.
The body produces pro-inflammatory cytokines. Under normal function they have various roles in inflammation, fever, regulation of blood pressure, clotting, immune function, tissues growth and regulation of the sleep cycle. However, if the balance isn’t maintained due to injury or poor diet, it can cause an overwhelming inflammation response. One of the many signs of inflammation in the body is deep neuropathic pain; such as fibromyalgia, thoracic outlet syndrome, low immune function, carpal tunnel and atherosclerosis; just to state a few.
Omega 3 fatty acids have overwhelming anti-inflammatory affects. It is very crucial to proper brain and many other body functions. A recent study from The University of Toronto, Canada published a case series of patients suffering from neuropathic pain syndromes.
Five patients with different underlying diagnoses including; cervical radiculopathy (slipped disc), thoracic outlet syndrome, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, and severe burns, they were treated with high oral doses of omega 3 fatty acids from fish oil (varying from 2400-7200 mg/day of EPA and DHA).
As a result of this treatment, patients had significant reduction in pain, improved function and overall wellbeing. After 19 months of treatment, there were NO serious side effects. Omega 3 fatty acid supplementation aids in a wide variety of health conditions including: Joint inflammation, chronic spinal pain, auto-immune disease, depression; etc. It is thought that suppressing the pro-inflammatory cytokines with the anti inflammatory Omega 3’s can greatly affect the body processes in the positive and a healthy balance can be maintained with no side effects.

Keeping you Healthy!
Dr. G

Chiropractic Gets High Marks From Medicare

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:56:48 +0000

By Peter W. Crownfield, Executive Editor

The long-awaited final report on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) chiropractic demonstration project, conducted from April 2005 through March 2007, is good news for chiropractic, with 87 percent of patients surveyed giving their doctor of chiropractic a score of 8 or higher when asked to rate their satisfaction with care (1-10 scale), and 56 percent rating their chiropractor a perfect 10.
Moreover, in all but one of the demonstration sites (metropolitan Chicago), health care costs did not increase significantly with the addition of chiropractic services.

The demonstration project, “Demonstration of Coverage for Chiropractic Services Under Medicare,” was mandated under section 651 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. The project evaluated the effects of expanding coverage of chiropractic services in four different regions of the country: Maine, New Mexico, 26 counties in northern Illinois and one county (Scott) in Iowa, and 17 counties in rural Virginia. Approximately 40 percent of eligible DCs in the four regions participated in the project at some point or another.

Key findings from the summary report, relative to patient experiences with chiropractic care and analysis of chiropractic-specific Medicare costs during the project, include the following. To review the report in its entirety, visit www.acatoday.org/pdf/demo_report.pdf.

* “Medicare beneficiaries reported good relief of symptoms and high degrees of satisfaction with the chiropractic care they received.”

* “The most frequent reasons given for seeking care from chiropractors were favorable earlier experiences (59 percent) and insufficient relief of symptoms by prior treatments of other health professionals (39 percent).”

* “Clinical problems involved the back in 78 percent, neck in 50 percent, hip in 38 percent, and shoulder in 32 percent. Pain was the most frequent symptom, followed by difficulty walking. … Sixty percent of [survey] respondents indicated that they received ‘complete’ or ‘a lot of’ relief of symptoms from their chiropractic treatments.”

* “Chiropractic care was felt to be easily accessible, and nearly 95 percent of respondents indicated that they had to wait no more than one week for appointments. Similarly high proportions reported that chiropractors listened carefully and spent sufficient time with them.”

* “Among users of expanded chiropractic services, visits increased by 60 percent overall and related Medicare expenditures increased by $34.8 million. … Essentially, all of the increased costs occurred in urban non-HPSA [Health Professional Shortage Areas] and in Illinois, and especially in Chicago and its suburbs.”

* “Illinois accounted for 80 percent of the total increase in costs and also had the highest per-person increases in costs of $485 per person compared with increases of $136 per person in Virginia and $35 per person in Maine, and decreases in the other two states.” [Per-person costs decreased by $178 in Iowa and $59 in New Mexico.]

* “The types of prior treatments received from other health care professionals differed strikingly from those received by chiropractors, including pain pills in 58 percent, pain injections in 30 percent, both pain pills and injections in 22 percent, and surgery in 12 percent. … The high reported use of pain medications and surgery in treatments received from other types of health care professionals suggests the potential for achieving cost offsets [by using chiropractic care].”

The stated purpose of the demonstration project was “for evaluating the feasibility and advisability of covering chiropractic services under the Medicare program (in addition to the coverage provided for services consisting of treatment by means of manual manipulation to the spine to correct a subluxation described in section 1861(r)(5) of the Social Security Act.” Chiropractic was defined as “care for neuromusculoskeletal conditions typical among eligible beneficiaries and diagnostic and other services that a chiropractor is legally authorized to perform by the State or jurisdiction in which such treatment is provided.” Chiropractic care needed to conform with CMS’s policy for reimbursement of chiropractic services, meaning treatment was for active conditions with reasonable expectation of improvement or resolution. Maintenance and prevention services were excluded per the CMS policy.

For additional background information on the Demonstration of Coverage for Chiropractic Services Under Medicare project, read “Details of CMS Demonstration Project Revealed” in the April 9, 2005 issue.

Yoga Provides Natural Relief from Seizures

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:51:35 +0000

A pilot study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2006; 12(4): 367-71) involved 20 patients with epilepsy who had at least four complex partial seizures in the previous ninety days. Subjects were observed for three months to provide a baseline. For the next ninety days they performed yoga and meditation for 20 minutes, twice daily. After the initial three months, meditation and yoga became optional, and 16 of the 20 subjects continued the practice. Follow-up at three, six and 12 months, showed that seizure frequency had drastically been reduced. Eight of the subjects continued practicing yoga and meditation for more than six months; those patients had at least a 50% reduction in the number of seizures, with three of them being seizure-free. As always, I recommend trying the natural approaches first. Give your body a chance to heal itself naturally. The majority of the time, if given the proper tools, your body with balance itself out.

Hidden Benefits of Massage

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:59:58 +0000

Every person on the planet has to deal with the pressure and stressors of life. It’s unavoidable! Through mental, emotional and physical stress, the body manifests that stress into muscle tension and pain. One of the best ways to naturally treat these symptoms is therapeutic massage.
Massage is an ancient form of natural healing dating back to 3000 B.C. The definition of massage is the manipulation of the soft tissues with the hands through kneading, stretching, compressing, and a variety of techniques to soothe and relax the tissue. Massage is great for many things. Not only does it relieve tension but it also aids the body flushing the fluids throughout the body; improving blood circulation, increasing your metabolism, aids digestion, reducing inflammation and swelling from an injury and promoting proper lymph movement.
Muscle tension is something most people suffer from and having tight muscles can lead to tension on the spinal bones. This can create adhesions or ‘knots’ in the muscle tissues and cause improper muscle function which can lead to other problems and pain. Massage is incredibly beneficial when coupled with chiropractic care. After adjusting the spine, massage is great for breaking up those knots retraining the muscles to relax and keep set the bones in properly so they stay in place longer, giving you a more flexible, stronger body.
So, if you need to relax, or to heal from an injury, massage is the perfect way to just feel great!
Call our office today at 947-1177.

Analgesics Increase Risk of Hearing Loss in Men

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:22:26 +0000

A new study published in the American Journal of Medicine, March edition, found that men who take aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), and/or NSAIDS (advil, motrin, etc.) at least twice a week increase their risk of experiencing hearing loss:
Aspirin 33%
NSAIDS 61%
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) 99%
There are natural alternatives: http://shopping.docofthefuture.com/

Rapid Muscle Growth

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:40:52 +0000

They don’t call Glutamine the master amino acid for nothing. The fact that it stimulates growth hormone to rapidly induce muscle growth, restores muscle glycogen for faster energy replenishment, aids in recovery through heightened protein synthesis and regulates glyconeogenesis to ensure your muscles use glycogen more effectively, makes it a critical supplement to be included in every bodybuilders mass building program. It is difficult to obtain from food sources alone.
Additional benefits of glutamine include immune system enhancement, lowers systemic pH to increase training duration and intensity and an efficient digestive tract for optimal assimilation of nutrients.
I use this myself and it should be a part of every bodybuilders arsenal.

Brigadier General Becky Halstead Calls for Chiropractic Care

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:28:27 +0000

New Study Finds Link Between Pesticides and ADHD

Wed, 19 May 2010 19:56:06 +0000

New study reveals link between ADHD and pesticides. Remember to wash your fruits and veggies thoroughly. To read more visit:
http://naturalfoodsmerchandiser.com/tabId/119/itemId/4699/Study-links-pesticides-to-ADHD.aspx

I recommend a good liver detox program at least every six months. For more information, call our office at 239.947.1177.
Dr. G

New Study Finds Vitamin D Prevents Influenza and Asthma in Children

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:59:15 +0000

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition just published an interesting study concerning Vitamin D. This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind study, placebo controlled trial of school children showing vitamin D3 prevents influenza. A secondary finding was that asthmatic children on placebo had six times more asthma attacks that did children on vitamin D3.

Synopsis:

Vitamin D3 is a vital nutrient for immune system function, cardiovascular, and brain development and activity.

Vitamin D3 is produced naturally in humans by direct exposure of the skin to sunlight. In winter and even other seasons, we do not expose our skin to adequate time periods of sun light.

It takes approximately 20 minutes per day of full body exposure to direct sunlight in order for your body to produce adequate levels of Vitamin D3.

Most adults and children need to supplement daily with Vitamin D3, especially in the winter.

According to the results of the study, vitamin D3 supplementation in school children may decrease the incidence of children developing signs and symptoms of the flu and may also decrease the rate of asthma attacks in asthmatic children.

Two New Low Back Pain Studies Favor Chiropractic Care

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:39:03 +0000

Two good studies just released :

http://www.chiro.org/wordpress/?p=2346