The Spinal Column

Fall 2018

Dear Patients and Friends,

If someone offered to pay you to give them your left arm, how much would they have to offer you to close the deal?  One hundred thousand dollars?  A million?  Ten million? How much would you take for your right lung?  How about your legs?

Our health is truly our greatest wealth.  It's worth more than money can buy.  Yet we often take it for granted, and don't pay much attention to preserving it until it begins to slip away.

Think about the things you most want in life.  Whatever is most important, whatever dreams, visions, and goals you cherish, your good health is a prerequisite to fulfilling and achieving them.  So think carefully about what you need to do in order to improve and maintain your health.  What resources do you need to devote to insuring the long-lasting improvement and preservation of your health, and that of your loved ones?  How much time, planning, energy, and money are you willing to spend to improve and protect your health and the health of your family?  What is it worth to you?

In which of the following areas is there room for improvement in your health self-care?

• Nutrition: Am I eating an anti-inflammation diet and taking anti-inflammatory supplements? 
• Exercise:  Am I spending time (ideally at least 150 minutes weekly) doing aerobic, mobilizing and strengthening exercise?
• Emotional: Am I making a point of being kind to myself.  Am I making it a priority to connect with others who can support me and whom I can support?
• Mental/spiritual: Do I have a practice to keep me connected to my highest aspirations and/or to a healing power greater than myself?

In reading the above list, if there is one that particularly makes you feel confused or squeamish or uncomfortable, that might be a good one to focus on in your renewed commitment to value your health and to spend time and resources to improve and preserve it.  Enlisting support from others (a health professional, spiritual counselor, nutritionist, yoga instructor, meditation teacher and/or a close friend) can help you learn and grow and hold yourself accountable to take the steps that will lead to a healthier, happier and more productive life.

It's very easy to get distracted by the demands and details of daily life from the things that are most important to us.  When you make a firm and conscious commitment to decide what is most important to you, and then to devote your attention and abilities to those things, the quality and enjoyment of your life will greatly improve.  The investment of time, energy, and money into your physical, mental, and emotional health is the greatest investment you can make.

Yours for better health, naturally,

Mha Atma S. Khalsa, D.C.

 

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• Chiropractic and migraine headaches—One hundred and twenty-seven migraine patients (at least one migraine per month) were divided into two groups for comparison. Group 1 received chiropractic adjustments at specific vertebral subluxations determined by the treating practitioner; group 2 served as controls and received inactive treatment (electrical stimulation with no current delivered). Subjects receiving chiropractic adjustments reported substantial improvement in migraine frequency, duration, disability, and medication use following two months of treatment. One in five participants reported a 90% reduction in migraines, and half reported significant improvement in migraine severity.  ( Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Feb. 2000)

• In 2010, a major scientific review titled Effectiveness of Manual Therapies: The UK Evidence Report, was published in the journal Chiropractic & Osteopathy in February 2010.  The distinguished scientific team who put the report together stated that, by the highest current standards of scientific evidence, spinal manipulation (ie chiropractic adjustments) is effective for acute, subacute and chronic low back pain, migraine and cerviogenic (stemming from the neck) headache, cervicogenic dizziness, acute and subacute neck pain, and several extremity joint conditions.  They further stated that chiropractic treatment for these conditions was both safe and appropriate. One of the primary authors was Dr. Scott Haldeman, an internationally renowned neuroscientist who has MD, PhD, and DC degrees, and who stated that “There is now little dispute among knowledgeable scientists that manipulation is of value in the management of back pain, neck pain and headaches that make up 90% or more of the patients that seek chiropractic care.”
   
• “The results of this study show that spinal manipulative therapy is an effective treatment for tension headaches. . . Four weeks after cessation of treatment . . . the patients who received spinal manipulative therapy experienced a sustained therapeutic benefit in all major outcomes in contrast to the patients that received amitriptyline therapy, who reverted to baseline values.” ‘ -- Boline et al. (1995), Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics

   

• Headache Relief With Regular Chiropractic Care—Researchers investigated the effect of chiropractic treatment on headaches in 20 randomized patients, focusing on the relationship between the number of chiropractic treatments and pain relief. Participants were assigned to one of three treatment groups: Group one received a total of three chiropractic visits (one visit per week), group two received a total of nine office visits (three visits per week), and group three received 12 total visits (four visits per week).  Researchers discovered a correlation between the number of chiropractic visits and positive outcome in headache patients. For headache pain, substantial differences were found between participants receiving 1 treatment per week and those receiving either 3 or 4 treatments per week. The researchers indicated that a larger clinical trial testing the relationship of headaches and chiropractic treatment is warranted, and concluded that there are benefits to "9 to 12 chiropractic visits over 3 weeks for the treatment of headaches/neck pain and disability. A larger number of visits than 12 in 3 weeks may be required for maximum relief and durability of outcomes." Journal of Manipulative and Physiologic Therapeutics 2004.

 

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Study: Opioid Use Less Among Recent Vets Receiving VA Chiropractic Care

A recent study was conducted seeking to examine sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with opioid use among veterans of operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn who received chiropractic care. Nearly one-third of the 14,005 veterans identified receiving VA chiropractic services also received an opioid prescription, yet the frequency of opioid prescriptions was lower after the chiropractic visit than before.

 

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Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation  May 2018

Effect of Usual Medical Care Plus Chiropractic Care vs Usual Medical Care Alone on Pain and Disability Among US Service Members With Low Back Pain A Comparative Effectiveness Clinical Trial

Christine M. Goertz, DC, PhD ¹;  Cynthia R. Long, PhD ¹;  Robert D. Vining, DC ¹; et al Katherine A. Pohlman, DC, MS² ;  Joan Walter, JD, PA ³; Ian Coulter, PhD ⁴

JAMA Network Open. 2018;1(1):e180105. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.0105

Key Points

Question   What is the effect of adding chiropractic care to usual medical care for patients with low back pain?

Findings  In this comparative effectiveness clinical trial among active-duty US military personnel, patients who received usual medical care plus chiropractic care reported a statistically significant moderate improvement in low back pain intensity and disability at 6 weeks compared with those who received usual care alone.

Meaning   This trial supports the inclusion of chiropractic care as a component of multidisciplinary health care for low back pain, as currently recommended in existing guidelines.

See the full report

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https://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=2527

Exercising Enough? Probably Not

Exercised lately? A few minutes here and there is better than nothing, but it's not close to enough, particularly according to official exercise guidelines. While the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults ages 18-64 participate in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week, or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise – as well as muscle-strengthening exercise two or more times a week, not many people are doing so. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, just over 77 percent of U.S. adults fail to meet the guidelines.

Believe it or not, HHS' "Healthy People 2020" initiative established a goal of having at least 20 percent of adults meeting the guidelines by 2020. According to the National Center for Health Statistics report, 22.9 percent have done so. Good news? We guess it could be worse, but when between seven and eight of every 10 Americans aren't getting enough exercise, there's definite room for improvement.

So, are you in the 77 percent group or the 23 percent group? Considering the myriad health and wellness benefits consistent aerobic and resistance exercise provide, we hope you're a proud member of the latter group. If not, that's OK; this should be your wake-up call to "step it up," starting by talking to your doctor about the best way to adopt a consistent exercise program that works for you.

 

O  THANKS FOR HELPING US HELP OTHERS!  O

 

&  MY CHIROPRACTIC STORY  &

I was diagnosed with a herniated lumbar disk that caused me lots of pain. I had just been diagnosed when I was referred to Khalsa Chiropractic by a neighbor. I wanted to find a solution and Dr. Mha Atma had wonderful reviews so I decided to give it a try. I had never been to a chiropractor before.

I had no clue how chiropractic worked and did not know what to expect. I loved the office from the time I saw the line of herbal teas and tray full of apples. Dr. Mha Atma recommended that I come for regular treatments for a while, do the exercises that he showed me, and be patient.

I slowly improved with continued treatment and eventually was much better. I was able to resume my usual gym schedule along with the normal activities at home such as gardening and dog walking after a full day at the office. I have continued with chiropractic care over the past year because it works! I am able to keep the quality of my life.

Both of my children have become chiropractic patients. They have learned about their body and how to care for it. I talk about chiropractic to everyone who cares to listen. I tell them it’s a non-invasive treatment with almost immediate results. I love it!

This is a wonderful practice. I feel almost pampered!

 

&  CHIROPRACTIC QUOTES  &

"A wise man ought to realize that health is his most valuable possession."

 

PLANT THE SEEDS OF GOOD HEALTH:

SEE YOUR CHIROPRACTOR REGULARLY!

 

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