Manipulation Myth Buster is Striking out against Strokes

"You should never allow a chiropractor to 'crack,' or even touch, your neck, because cervical adjustments are very risky. They lead to strokes, broken bones, or worse!"

If you are in the chiropractic profession, these words hit you in the gut and give you the 'creeps'. The same kind of creepy feeling you can't shake after walking through a spider-web in the dark. Yuck! These thoughts about chiropactic have plagued our profession for years, and I don't know about you, but I am sooo over it!

Chiropractic, in general, is a much safer approach to health care than medical care. It is restorative, preventative, drug free, noninvasive, and has no side affects. This is shown to be true by two considerations. First, chiropractors, by-in-large, are careful, conservative adjusters, and use no more force than is needed to get the proper adjustment. Second, patients who experience chiropractic adjustments not only tolerate them well, but think of them in such a positive and beneficial way, that they often try to "adjust" themselves at home (which we then must gently but MAJORLY discourage). On the contrary, I don't seem to find a large population of people who develop the desire to give themselves injections or surgery at home, no matter how needed the procedure may be. And if this were not evidence enough, lets look at an industry who's wallet is at stake when evaluating these risks... Malpractice Insurance Companies. They openly tell us that, of all the different types of doctors, it is the chiropractor, that has, by far, the lowest-risk practices. In fact, chiropractors enjoy the lowest malpractice insurance rates of ALL the health care disciplines!

We have Hollywood to thank for our irrational fear of the fragility of our necks. How many action movies have you seen that show the apparent ease with which a "ninja warrior" or mafia thug goes around casually, and almost effortlessly, eliminating all those who would dare oppose him with a quick twist of the head. Ha! Give your body and bone structure a liiiiiiittle more credit than that. Food for thought... The average boxer hits with a force of about 800-1,000 lbs across someone's chin. Notice that, in most cases, this does not break the neck. Now, compare that to a chiropractic adjustment which is, at most, 70-80 lbs. God made your body strong... don't underestimate it. :)

Ok... lets think about this rationally. Consider the following ABSOLUTELY TRUE statement: Some people have strokes directly after eating pizza. What was your first reaction to this statement? This question is the first step needed to make a rational assessment of the risks of eating pizza. The second question you want to ask is: How many is people is "some"? If one out of every 1,000 people stroke after eating pizza, then Papa John's Pizza everywhere would be closing down until this epidemic could be stopped. However, if that number was closer to 1 out of every 2-3,000,000 people, the fear level would significantly drop. Everyone knows that there is a risk of choking on a pepperoni, but the love of pizza causes patrons to flock to these restaurants anyway. Why? Because everyone who eats pizza casually accepts the small level of risk in order to enjoy their favorite Italian dish.

Now... lets look at this ABSOLUTELY TRUE statement: Some patients have strokes after receiving a cervical spine adjustment. What was your first reaction to this statement? And again, the next question: How many is some? As people have started looking at the "risk of stroke" statistics a little closer, they are seeing that, as a group, people under regular chiropractic care, appear to have a slightly LOWER risk of stroke than an equivalent group of those not under chiropractic care! WOW!

I will close with this quote from NCMIC (malpractice insurance company) and statistics:

"On analysis, Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT) as delivered by chiropractors is one of the most conservative, least invasive and safest of procedures in the provision of heal care services. The risks of SMT pale when compared to known medical risks. Chiropractors, by their training and skill in SMT and special emphasis on the spine, are the best positioned to deliver this mode of health care to the public."

• 99% of strokes occur within the BRAIN
• 1% of strokes occur in the neck

Research is showing that 1 : 5,850,000 chiropractic adjustments MAY cause stroke... here are some relative numbers:

• Being struck by lightening 1 : 700,000
• Drowning in a bathtub 1 : 818,051
• Fatal fall down stairs 1 180,188
• Accidental suffocation in bed 1 : 565,700

I would say this myth is officially... BUSTED!

The "Flip-Flop" Hop

Are Flip Flops Bad for Your Back and Feet?
For those who don’t know what flip flops are, they are the flat soled sandals that make a “flip-flopping” sound when you walk. Over the years, flip flops have increased in popularity, so the question of “are flip flops bad for my back and feet?” has been asked.

If you want my honest answer... Flip flops are terrible for your back and feet! Flip flops lack support for the medial arch (the arch that runs from the inside of your foot to the outside) and the longitudinal arch (arch from the toes to the heel). They do not properly handle the forces that are applied during the weight acceptance phase of gait, this is the phase when your foot contacts the ground.

The improper distribution of forces may cause muscle strains, ligament sprains, or other soft tissue injury. For example, the lack of support may change your gait leading to an over stretching of the plantar fascia (the tissue that supports the arch of the foot). This may cause heel pain or even a heel spur. The altered gait may also lead to improper weight acceptance leading to ankle, knee, hip, and low back challenges later on.

I understand the ease and simplicity of slipping on this type of shoe in the summer. IF YOU MUST WEAR FLIP FLOPS... I would suggest a brand like Croc or Okabashi. They have a slight arch support, which is better than their lacking competitors.

Over all, when choosing your summer footwear, please choose your footwear with your back and feet in mind.

How am I? I'm spine and dandy! Thanks for asking...

These are before and after X-rays of a scoliosis patient who underwent chiropractic treatment. Wow... what a difference!

We have the honor of conducting all of the scoliosis screenings for Wilson County’s 6th graders twice a year. I am always surprised to find out how many people know so little about this debilitating condition. Scoliosis is a lateral curvature of the spine. It seems so simple in definition, but the effects of this condition can be severe and even fatal.

All of the systems of your body are controlled by your brain. Your brain sends the signals to the organs through your spinal cord and into your nerves. When the spine is curved or twisted in an abnormal manner, it causes swelling in the tissue around the spine. The result: putting pressure on the nerves and inhibiting nerve function. I think it can best be illustrated with a story…

One day I bought a car that I was intending to fix up. It didn’t run yet, so I parked it to the side of the driveway in the yard. Over the next few weeks, my mother started noticing that her rose garden was turning brown and dying. I told her I would take a look at it, and upon closer inspection, realized that my car was parked on the garden hose that supplied water to her roses. Oops! It took a bit of finagling, but I was able to free the hose from under the car. Within the week the roses were vibrant in color once again. Mom thought I was the “rose whisperer” or something! (Of course I didn’t tell her any different…) The point is, the problem was never with the roses… it was in the water supply TO the roses. Many times, people think their problem lies with their sinuses, kidneys, or lungs; but if they would just move the car off the hose, everything would be normal again. This principal applies not just to scoliosis, but in every spinal condition. But you understand the point I am making.

How do I know if I or my child has scoliosis?

The best way to know if you or your child has scoliosis is to be checked by a chiropractor. Most chiropractors will do free scoliosis screenings on children 0-14. Scoliosis will typically begin to show up in boys ages 0-8 (0-1st Grade), and in girls by ages 8-12 (4th-7th Grade). These are just a guideline; remember, it is never too early to have your child checked for scoliosis.

Can Chiropractic help scoliosis?

There have been SEVERAL cases of scoliosis treated by chiropractors that have yielded great results. It is like anything though; some are better candidates than others. Possibly the biggest determining factor in the overall effectiveness of treatment is the age of the patient. When a patient is younger, it increases the likelihood of more dramatic results. Why? Simple. While the spine is still growing and developing, it is more susceptible to training and correcting. You can retrain the spine with much less effort.

Now, just because the patient is older, does NOT mean that there is nothing that can be done. Chiropractic has shown great success in both treatment AND management of this condition. Chiropractic is a GREAT alternative to pain medicine and a great supplement to physical therapy. Chiropractic has saved thousands of patients from back surgery. The wonderful thing about chiropractic is that it is restorative, preventative, drug free, noninvasive, and has no side effects!

I think a quote from Robert Frances Kennedy says it best- “There are those who look at things and ask why… I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”

People look at chiropractic as a strange and foreign thing and ask “Why would I go to a chiropractor?” When the question should really be “Why WOULDN’T I go to a chiropractor?!”

I wouldn’t trust my spine to anyone else, and here is why…

Minimum Required Hours

Chiropractic College vs Medical School

Anatomy/Embryology: 456 vs 215
Physiology: 243 vs 174
Pathology: 296 vs 507
Chemistry/Biochemistry: 161 vs 100
Microbiology: 145 vs 145
Diagnosis: 408 vs 113
Neurology: 149 vs 171
Psychology/Psychiatry: 56 vs 323
Obstetrics & Gynecology: 66 vs 284
X-ray: 271 vs 13
Orthopedics: 168 vs 2

Total Hours for Degree: 2,419 vs 2,047

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Could a Neck Adjustment Lower Your Blood Pressure?

A New Study Shows a Link Between Hypertension and Spinal Alignment

We are still unsure of what causes hypertension (high blood pressure), but recent studies indicate that an upper cervical (neck) adjustment may reduce hypertension for some of the 65 million Americans battling it.

The study done at University of Chicago, published in the Journal of Human Hypertension, analized the possibility of a connection between a spinal realignment and a decrease in blood pressure.

"We set up a double-blind study to really look and see if in fact this procedure was affecting high blood pressure," said University of Chicago Medical Center hypertension specialist George Bakris.

The results were amazing. The patients who received the chiropractic adjustments saw their blood pressure drop an average of 17 points -- a dip that usually takes two blood pressure medications to reach.

"My blood pressure dropped tremendously!" said Denise Nieman, who had participated in the study.

Why It Works

The C-1 vertebra, located at the top of the spine, operates like a fuse box in the body. When it is “tweaked” out of place, it can pinch arteries and nerves at the neck's base, which not only causes discomfort but also affects blood flow and nerve function.

When the spine is misaligned (subluxated), it can affect all types of things, and it can even cause all types of diseases and conditions.

So, for patients like Nieman, whose X-rays showed her C-1 subluxated, the special chiropractic adjustment lowered the pain and her blood pressure simultaneously.

While it is still not as common as other treatments for hypertension, chiropractic is gaining credibility and popularity. I think that Thomas Edison said it best: “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” ...Chiropractic.

Chiropractic and Aspergers Autism

I was speaking with a friend about my previous post on Epilepsy and Chiropractic, and I was asked about Chiropractic and the treatment of Autism. I thought it would be something to post here, as I am sure she is not the only one dealing with this issue.

We have a couple of patients that we are treating for mental disorders. One of which is an 11 year old boy with a form of autism called aspergers. When his mother brought him to us, his disorder was to the point that he was being sent to live with his grandmother in order to protect his three other brothers. He had a frequent and strong tick (a blinking head nod) and he was hitting teachers and students at school. Upon doing an examination, his chiropractor changed his diet (off of corn products [especially high fructose corn syrup] and white flour) to help his attention span, and put him on a vitamin regimen that consisted of Omega 3's (epa and dha) to enhance brain function, and a B-Complex to help his body receive and process the Omega 3's. The doctor also put him on a treatment plan that consisted of cervical adjustments.

I am blessed to say he is a TOTALLY different kid. He is able to be with his brothers now, is doing great at school socially, his tick has MAJORLY decreased, and he seems SO much happier. Did we cure him? No. He still has the aspergers, but is living a more normal life. It has been REALLY cool to watch. The mom feels like we have given her her son back. Special to my heart...

Epilepsy and Chiropractic

I recently had an hour-long conversation with a gentleman at my church about the effects of chiropractic treatment on epilepsy. The more we talked, and the more I thought about the anatomy of the cervical spine and head, the more I began formulating my own theories. As I continued to do research, the results were astounding! Almost every study that has been done with patients presenting epileptic activity has resulted in reduction or expulsion of all such episodes. Wow! I have always known chiropractic as a very powerful form of treatment, but even I was blown away by the effects of chiropractic on a 5-year old boy… we’ll call him David.

David was born a healthy baby, and up until he was 3 months of age, he hadn’t even had the slightest sniffle. One day, that all changed. Two days after his “three month check-up”, David became “colicky” and developed a mild upper respiratory infection with a fever. His mother recalls him being a little fussy, not eating, but alert when she put him down for a nap before leaving for work. Fifteen minutes later, his baby-sitter found him cyanotic, gasping for air, and nonresponsive. David was rushed to the hospital immediately. In the emergency room, he was resuscitated and given IV antibiotics.

After a full work up, the only remarkable thing was swelling of the brain. David was treated and seemed stable until 24 hours later when he began to have seizures. He stayed in the hospital for almost two weeks while doctors tried to find the right combination of medications to control the seizures. He was finally released with a diagnosis of near SIDS or viral encephalitis.

Even though he was placed on medication to manage the seizures, they increased in frequency to 30 seizures a day. He had developed cortical blindness, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and severe brain damage, and the doctors told the parents that David would never walk, speak, regain his vision, or progress in school. They were given no hope…

When David was five, his mother noticed that he was having monthly reoccurring ear infections, and his doctor had scheduled a tubal surgery. That’s when a friend told her about her chiropractor… When the doctor examined David, he was unable to walk, communicate, or respond with a constant loud vocal drone and almost constant writhing. He couldn’t support his own weight to sit or stand. Upon X-ray and further examination, it was decided that David was a chiropractic candidate. Here are the results:

Week one: Adjusted twice. Result? First good night sleep in weeks, seizures had reduced dramatically to only 10 per day, his vocal drone became a quiet intermittent moan, and he began to clap his hands.

Week two: Adjusted once. Result? He became more alert, continued to sleep more soundly, began sitting up and looking around, responded to sounds by looking toward the source, and continued with a decrease in seizures to only 5 per day. His pupil reflexes returned to normal, and he began to respond to bright light with closure and appeared to follow. Almost all of his writhing motions had ceased. An examination of his ears found them to be clear.

Week three and four: Adjusted thrice. Result? Seizures continued to occur at 5 per day, but all grand mals had ceased. He was sleeping completely through the nights now. For the first time in his life, he said “Dada” and began repeating vowel sounds. David’s therapists suspected that his vision was suddenly improving. His mother was told that he had unexpectedly and repeatedly mimicked the answering of a phone by copying the therapist and holding the receiver to his ear.

A re-exam was done, and David was not showing ANY signs of: vocal drone, writhing motions, tenderness, or restricted/ spastic motions. He was now capable of sitting up on his own and his mother reported that for the first time he pulled himself up and stood for over one minute. He began to develop motor skills and even grabbed his own pacifier and placed it in his mouth. David was showing avoidance to bright light, visual fixation and following, and normal pupil reflexes. His mother also noted that this was his first month free of ear infections in 9 months.

Week five: Adjusted twice. Result? Still having 5 seizures a day, but had been reduced to only petit mals. By the end of the week, David was seen by his neurologist and eye doctor. The eye doctor noted drastic improvement with a recovery of central field vision. David’s neurologist reported that he had greatly improved and would be requesting further tests to evaluate his seizure condition.

Week six: Adjusted once. Result? Seizures reduced to only 3 per day, with increased alertness, vocalization (with addition of the word “eat”), and fine motor coordination with playing with toys. His mother said that he was now responding to verbal commands with placing the phone receiver to his ear by saying “hello”. His follow-up exam with his pediatrician noted that his ears were normal and that tubes would not be necessary.

Weeks seven through twelve: Adjusted once to twice. Result? Seizures steadily reduced to the point of staring episodes, and David could be brought out of these episodes by calling out his name. By the end of the twelfth week, there were no outward signs of seizures.

Over the next 10 months, David continued to improve and was classified as non-epileptic. All medication was stopped. His vision improved to the point where he was prescribed glasses, and his speech continued to improve with clear pronunciation of “Dada, Mama, eat, and food”. David began to learn how to feed himself and was even able to potty train. David is now walking, talking, and FINALLY… living.

THAT is why I love chiropractic. It is able to let people not only exist, but live… really live.