No Evidence that Chiropractic Causes Stroke According to Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation
Posted on 08. Jan, 2010 by admin in Where:Santa-Barbara-CA
Amidst a great deal of emotion and rhetoric coming out of Connecticut this week regarding the stroke issue The Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation has just released a very clear position statement on the issue of chiropractic and strokes.
Atlanta, GA, January 07, 2010 –(PR.com)– According to the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation there is no human experimental evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations are causally related to strokes.
“While plaintiff’s attorneys and expert witness make claims and statements contending that such a causative link exists, the fact remains that these are based largely on anecdotes, case reports, and case controlled studies and cannot be used to prove causation” stated Foundation President Christopher Kent DC, JD a chiropractic researcher and attorney.
According to researchers and the scientific method itself there are all sorts of biases and distortions that effect conclusions drawn from such studies and other criteria must be used to determine whether such a link exists.
“What this boils down to is a simple lack of understanding of biostatistics and epidemiology” stated Foundation Vice President Matthew McCoy DC, MPH, a chiropractic researcher and public health expert. “Words like ‘association’ and ‘causation’ and ‘risk’ have very specific meanings when it comes to their use in epidemiology and it’s clear that laypersons involved in this debate are using these terms inappropriately.”
While the experience of a stroke can be devastating and no one would suggest ignoring the concerns of those who have suffered one, the reality is that when it comes to the contention that chiropractic causes strokes – the evidence just isn’t there. And while the strokes these people have experienced are indeed real, McCoy suggests there are often other issues involved and offered an example. “Millions of people visit a dentist every year and a certain number of those same people get into car accidents on their way home. If we were to run the stats on it we might find that there is a statistical association between visiting a dentist and getting into a car accident on the way home. But no one would even consider suggesting that the dentists are causing the car accidents.”
Self described chiropractic stroke victims say there is a risk and that people should be advised about it prior to undergoing chiropractic care. The majority of chiropractors would agree that patients should be informed of the risks, benefits and alternatives of any health care intervention, but according to Dr. Kent “Such informed consent must be based on appropriate information and since there is no scientific evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations actually cause strokes, it is inappropriate to require a doctor to suggest that such a risk exists.”
Dr. McCoy added another often overlooked issue “Chiropractors utilize a number of techniques to address joint dysfunction and vertebral subluxation and in fact there are over 300 named chiropractic techniques and many do not employ the type of manipulation that has been alleged to be a factor in vertebrobasilar accidents. This adds to the inappropriate nature of such a disclosure.”
In the end, chiropractic has an impressive safety record compared to traditional medical care with estimates are that anywhere from 100,000 (Institute of medicine) to 750,000 (Null et al) people die every year from medical care. In comparison, other than some minor soreness following chiropractic treatment, research has shown chiropractic to be very safe.
How Did You Sleep Last Night?
Posted on 07. Jan, 2010 by admin in Santa Barbara Chiropractor, Where:Santa-Barbara-CA
Getting enough sleep is an important component for a healthy life. Many people work too many hours, enjoy a “demanding” social life, and have lots of commitments with their families. Worries, to do lists, arguments, and forgotten tasks creep into their minds when it is time to wind down at the end of the day, keeping them from getting a restful nights sleep. Getting enough sleep is essential for a healthy immune system. It also helps to reduce stress, is necessary for the body to make repairs, and makes you more alert. If you are are one of the many who are lacking enough rest, make a New Year’s resolution that will impact your whole life. Get to bed!
Some tips for getting a night of rest that will make you feel your best:
1. Make your bedroom a place where you either sleep or have sex. Don’t bring work to bed with you, stop checking your Blackberry, and turn off the TV!
2. Reduce caffeine; have your higher caffeinated drinks earlier in the day and don’t have any 7-8 hours before bed.
3. Give yourself a bedtime. If you know what time you have to rise, set the clock 8 hours before that and give yourself no more than 30 minutes to get in bed.
4. Take a hot shower or bath and use essential oils like lavender that help induce sleep.
5. Figure out if exercise energizes you or makes you tired and decide when you should incorporate your routine into your day.
6. Try Dr. Andrew Weil’s breathing exercises. Calming the mind to reduce the internal chatter will do amazing things for your bedtime routine. How are you sleeping at night? Do you have any tips for the chronic insomniacs? Please share your comments at Integrative Nutrition.
Santa Barbara Chiropractor Answers the Question: Can Chiropractic Treatment Relieve Vertigo?
Posted on 02. Jan, 2010 by admin in Where:Santa-Barbara-CA
What does the term, “vertigo, ” mean? Vertigo is a name for the dizzy disturbance a person suffers within a fixed environment. The perception is that the outer world is tilting and even spinning. Vertigo may be quick and short- lived or constant. But remember, in any case, the exact source of vertigo needs to be defined and the appropriate treatment carried out.
There’s lots of causative factors for the complaints of Vertigo. An inner ear problem, known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, can occasionally happen as the impact of a sustained head injury or intense cold. Many times this particular vertigo might be caused by the aging process. The basis, however, frequently is not known. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is a wordy diagnosis, but it characterizes perfectly this non- progressive problem that is caused by, as its name signifies, a abrupt change in head position. The difficulties are as a general rule surprising and varied.
It is usually helpful to look at the performance of the inner ear in an endeavor grasp what brings about the ofttimes incapacitating difficulties of this type of vertigo. The brain takes in movement and maintains balance utilizing the fluid found in the inner ear. Also in the inner ear are tiny calcium carbonate crystals, known as otoconia. These crystals usually float in the inner ear fluid if dislodged. As the crystals strike against the responsive nerve endings in the inner ear, they bring on the disorder of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV.
The good news is that chiropractic treatment can relieve the manifestation of BPPV very quickly and effectively using a technique which is called the Epley maneuver. Through the use of this procedure, a chiropractor turns the head of a BPPV sufferer into several different positions, letting gravity relocate the calcium carbonate crystals into a space of the inner ear that is away from the nerve endings where they will create no further dizziness.
Your chiropractor has assisted hundreds of persons for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo by using only the Epley Maneuver technique. In most cases, with only one treatment many patients no longer suffer from wooziness. Make an appointment with your Santa Barbara Chiropractor now!
Santa Barbara Chiropractor: Are Extra Pounds Putting Your Joints on Overload?
Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by admin in Where:Santa-Barbara-CA
It is no secret that carrying around excess body weight, especially as we age, can cause a number of health problems from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes to back and joint pain. Too much body weight puts extra stress on organs, like the heart, and on joints in the low back, hips, and knees. Recent studies have revealed that more than half of the adults in the U.S. (62 percent) are overweight or obese. That is a very significant number and an enormous problem (no pun intended).
The human body was not designed to carry around extra weight in the form of body fat. Only an additional 20 or 30 pounds can put the musculoskeletal system literally on overload. Weight in the belly, for instance, causes the body to compensate (counterbalance the weight) by tilting the pelvis forward. This produces compression in the joints of the low back. Joint compression constricts nerve activity and produces painful inflammation. Weight-bearing stresses can cause a pinched sciatic nerve or create misalignments of the spinal column that impinge nerves. This is the reason that most overweight individuals suffer from low back pain. Misaligned vertebra can not only cause new arthritic changes in the spine, but can continue to irritate the degenerative changes that have already taken place over the years.
You may be wondering how chiropractic can help. First of all, to be clear, a healthy body weight is a necessity in order for the musculoskeletal system to perform the way it is meant to. That said, in addition, chiropractic treatment relieves nerve impedence in the spine and helps to restore mobility back into the joints of the musculoskeletal system, like in the low back, hips, and knees. A spine in alignment and joints that have healthy movement make exercise and physical activity a lot easier. Exercise will not only help with weight loss, but it can actually decelerate degenerative changes as a person ages.
It is always best to discuss diet and exercise with a healthcare professional, like your chiropractor. Chiropractors not only help individuals get pain relief from back challenges and joint inflammation due to arthritis, but in addition they offer highly knowledgeable advice on the kind of lifestyle changes that can aid an individual in staying healthier and more active through the years. Arthritis and immobility as we get older do not have to be inevitable. The human body was meant to move, to walk, even to dance, without pain, for a lifetime.
So, if you’ve been throwing your weight around and all you’ve been getting in return is back and joint pain, your chiropractor can help relieve your suffering. Make an appointment today!
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