Chiropractors and children

June 21, 2007 10:28 am

The Spine, Chiropractors, And Children
by: Rayna Gangi

One of the most vital areas of our bodies that needs daily stretching is the back. The spine and its connection to the brain control every organ and system. It is dependant on water, as the intervetebral discs provide cushioning for our upright frames. The spine is an “S” curve, which keeps us upright and moves in unison with every twist and turn. When we turn our heads to the right or to the left, our lower back, the lumbar and sacral area, holds steadfast so we don’t spin with the movement. When we take a forward step, the spine maintains an opposing force so we don’t fall forward.

The back, leg, and neck muscles attach to our hips and shoulders, and to the spine, so they can coordinate our movements. Our nervous system is dependant on the alignment of the vertebrae in the spine, and thus the balance of energy within our bodies.

Chiropractors are trained to manipulate the vertebrae, sometimes too forcefully, but more often through soft tissue pressure. The art and science of this manipulation has been in existence for thousands of years. Chinese records from 2700 B.C. show some of the earliest manipulations, and the Greeks recorded leg manipulations to relieve lower back pain.

In 1895, in the United States, Daniel Palmer first performed chiropractic manipulations on a patient who had been deaf for seventeen years after he felt something change in his back. After manipulating the spine in the upper back, the patient reported that his hearing improved.

What we don’t realize or seem to remember, is that we can do many of the same manipulations performed by chiropractors through stretching. We did it as children. We rolled on the floor, brought our knees to our chests, curled into the fetal position, hung upside down from monkey bars, touched our toes without bending our knees, and did push-ups without raising our bellies from the floor. All of these movements have been copied by ancient practices, such as yoga, and helped our backs to remain aligned, strong, and supple.

Of course, as children, we also slept on smaller pillows, exercised more, drank more fluids, and ran on the earth, rather than on concrete. Children today are visiting the chiropractor more often, or worse, having back pain and back surgery because of sublaxations and misalignment. Poor nutrition, soda instead of water, lack of physical exercise, and poor posture are all contributing to the imbalances in our children. Since the spinal nerves connect to all other systems, children’s diseases, physical and mental, are on the increase and the drug industry is flourishing.

More than seventeen million Americans suffer from asthma, approximately 5 million of them being children. The prevalence of asthma in children has increased more than sixty percent since 1982. We blame this on second hand cigarette smoke or increased urban populations. This is partially correct. Children can’t breathe because their diaphragms don’t expand and their spines are misaligned. The misalignment interferes with the impulses to the lungs, the liver, the intestines, and the endocrine system. Everything in the air becomes an allergen and triggers an asthma attack. They can’t breathe because of psychological or spiritual triggers, sending them into panic attacks that the body is no longer able to cope with. Inhalers filled with steroids and bronchial dilators are carried to school with peanut butter sandwiches, candy and soda. Recess is a hand-held video game and after-school activities are bus riding, television, and computer chat rooms.

Adults can’t breathe because our pillows and beds are too soft, our diets are poor, our shoes (especially women’s shoes), don’t support our spines, and we sit at desks or in car seats or sideways on couches.

In the peripheral nervous system, which is made up of the nerves that run from the brain and spinal cord, there are chemical signals that pass between neurons and muscles or glands. These transmitters either activate or inhibit cell functions. ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is treated with drugs that alter the chemistry of these transmitters, the belief being that the problem is in the brain and that the electro-chemical processes need to be changed. Nowhere in research studies is it suggested that spinal alignment, along with proper nutrition, including healthy water, could be the answer to the behaviors associated with ADHD. In other words, children could be hyperactive, because they are not active.

Animals, except those in unhealthy, domesticated environments, don’t have asthma or ADHD, although many animals are now starting to suffer from environmental and water pollution. Most animals have straighter spines that don’t need to support the weight as humans do, but they still stretch, exercise, and try to drink clean water.

The spine, spinal nerves, and nerve processes don’t need to be fused or surgically altered. They need to be open to allow the electrical impulses necessary for life.

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Why choose a chiropractor

10:26 am

Why You Should Choose A Chiropractor For Back Pain Relief
by: Patrick Porter

When you are in pain, finding relief is the most pressing thought in your mind. Masking the pain with painkillers or dangerous surgery often leads to unfavorable results, and risks your future chances for living a pain-free life. That’s why finding a caring, professional chiropractor should be your first choice.

A qualified chiropractor can quickly provide you with a diagnosis and treatment plan, or can point you in the direction of a medical professional who can help you.

During your initial consultation, the professional chiropractor will gather your health history. After an initial exam he or she will be able to tell you what chiropractic services can do for you.

As an example, one patient began to have pain in his shoulder related to an old football injury for which he had previously had surgery. He decided to try a chiropractor before taking any radical measures. “My doctor wanted me to have additional surgery to correct the problem. Luckily, I went to a chiropractor first. My once a month visits eliminate my pain almost completely. I am even able to enjoy playing golf with no soreness.”

Why Your Family Doctor Can’t Relieve Your Back Pain

Family physicians are trained to know a little about a lot of things. Your body is an amazing biomechanical machine. Chiropractors specialize in relieving back pain by working with the mechanics of the human machine. Medical doctors are trained to work with the biology. They are adept at prescribing drugs that alter or react with human biology. Unfortunately, these chemical painkillers often come with a price: potential addiction, immune suppression, lethargy, and constipation, to name a few. Not only that, the body continues to be damaged by misalignment of the spine.

Doesn’t it make good common sense to seek out a back pain specialist when you have back pain? Wouldn’t you prefer to try a natural remedy before turning to drugs or putting your body through the trauma of surgery?

Don’t worry, your chiropractor will know if he or she can’t treat you and will refer you to an appropriate specialist.

The Benefits of Regular Chiropractic Care

Short-term and regular chiropractic care has a number of benefits including spinal and extremity pain relief. With monthly visits you can increase mobility, experience better range of motion, decrease stiffness in your back and eliminate muscular spasms. Another patient found no solution for her migraine headaches outside of her Chiropractor’s care.

Other popular uses for Chiropractor care are arthritic joint pain relief, increased joint health, increased performance and energy, increased sense of wellbeing and relaxation, increased balance and coordination, reduced degeneration and risk of injury, enhanced tissue healing and decreased tissue inflammation.

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Back pain and arthritis

10:23 am

If you are experiencing back pain you will probably

If you are experiencing back pain you will probably be searching hard for an answer as to what is causing it. Unfortunately, back pain is one of the most difficult ailments to diagnose. This is due in part to the fact that there are so many different reasons that your back could be hurting. Unlike other conditions, back pain can be caused by a countless number of things. Arthritis is one of the most common reasons that people suffer from back pain. If you believe that you are suffering from arthritis, or your doctor has diagnosed it, you do have some treatment options available to you. Luckily, arthritis is very common which means that doctors are working hard on finding new and innovative ways to reduce pain. But until there is a cure, you will have to stick to some of the basic ways of treating your discomfort. First off, if you are suffering from arthritis of the back, you will want to be sure that you are sleeping on a mattress that is appropriate for your condition.
A mattress that properly supports your back can go a long way in relieving stress on your muscles and joints. Another thing that people often overlook is the posture that they use will sitting in a chair. Even though you may not sit down a lot during the day, you still need to realize that proper posture is one of the best ways to ensure that your arthritis does not get out of control. You can find proper back support for your chair in a couple of different ways. You can either buy a chair that has good back, and in particular lumbar support. Or you can buy an insert that will allow you to transform any chair into a comfortable, yet safe seat. Soft back braces are used by many people that feel that they need a little bit of extra support. They are necessary when your arthritis has caused instability of the spinal column. A soft back brace can go a long way in preventing future injury to your back. But if you are interested in wearing a soft back brace there is one thing that you should keep in mind. Prolonged use of a brace can weaken your back and its muscles. They can also inhibit healing. (You can have a lot more info on related resources like these: http://www.backpain-revealed.com) If you are interested in traction devices you will need to contact your doctor or chiropractor.
These devices can be very effective, but can also be very dangerous if not done properly. By getting the advice and assistance of a doctor you will ensure yourself of being safe. Overall, back pain that is caused by arthritis is very common. Most people that suffer from this ailment are older, but that does not mean that the younger generation should not pay attention. Arthritis can attack anybody, regardless of age. If you follow the treatment options listed above you will surely be able to better control your arthritis. You will be glad that you did when your back is pain free!

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Whiplash and chiropractic

10:17 am

While many people deal with whiplash soon after the event of a car accident, many victims of a car accident initially walk away from hospital examinations and x-rays with reports of “nothing being broken” and therefore think they are fine and not in need of any further medical assistance or support.

This is often not the case and symptoms of whiplash later appear. Studies show that from 50 to 90 per cent of sufferers continue to suffer from pain and some amount of disability for years after an accident. If left untreated, this can result in serious degeneration of the neck and spine. The back is not only a crucial skeletal area supporting the body and head but carries nerve signals affecting brain functions and body movements, which can be badly affected.

A car accident whiplash injury is a dramatic example of a subluxation produced by a sudden accident or trauma. A subluxation (also known as vertebral subluxation) is when one or more of the bones of your spine (vertebrae) move out of position and put pressure on and irritate spinal nerves. Spinal nerves come out from between each of the bones in the spine and pressure or irritation causes them to malfunction.

This interference with signals travelling over the nerves can result in delayed ‘instructions’ to the brain. An example of a delayed referral would be tripping or falling over - your brain tells your body to run, but you can’t run as fast as your brain is telling your body to run, and so you fall over.

As the nervous system controls and coordinates all functions of your body, if all of the signals being transmitted over the nerves are interfered with, parts of the body will not be able to function at 100 per cent of their usual abilities. In other words, some parts of the body will not be able to work properly at all.

Other symptoms can include ‘referred pain’ - where pain and tingling is felt in a part of the body that the area is normally served by the damaged nerve ending - often the arms.

Cervogenic headaches - one-sided neck and head pains radiating from the second and third cervical vertebrae - are also common. They are often initially thought of as being stress or tension headaches. If the spine area or neck area has compacted, then the head can often feel as if it is being held on a stick and head movement can be restricted. Less frequently there are symptoms of nausea and sensitivity to loud noise and light.

Often, patients end up seeing a chiropractor in desperation because they feel there is something wrong with their body but after seeing their GP and receiving little or no long-term help or referrals, decide to take the matter into their own hands.

A chiropractic practitioner can locate subluxations and reduce or correct them. This is done through a series of chiropractic adjustments specifically designed to correct subluxations in the spine. Depending on the severity of the whiplash symptoms, treatment may be required every few weeks.

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How to choose a good chiropractor

June 19, 2007 12:18 pm

Author: James Calvin |

Most of us don’t know how to find a good chiropractor. Generally, when we are looking for a doctor, we just open up the yellow pages and let our fingers do the walking. Sometimes, we may ask our friends, family or co-workers for a recommendation, but face it, what works for them may not work for you. Finding a good chiropractor can be a very difficult decision, because this is a profession with an unusually wide variety of techniques and philosophies. Here are some tips on how to find a competent chiropractor best suited for you as an individual.

Do a phone interview. Take time out to interview your prospective chiropractor. If the doctor is not available when you call, then arrange a time when you can speak to the doctor. Take note of the doctors communication skills, he should be comfortable to speak with and eager to answer your questions. You may want to ask:

What the doctor’s feelings are about how chiropractics differ from other health professions?

What does the doctor see as his responsibility when performing a competent diagnosis?

How does the doctor feel about referring patients to other specialists?

What kind of techniques does this doctor offer?

What kind of experiences has he had with other patients with similar conditions to you?

What are the doctor’s fees or does the doctor take your insurance, or in case you have an HMO, do you need a referral?

What is doctor’s location and what are his hours of operation?

Avoid a chiropractor who:

Considers his profession as being opposed to the medical profession.

Denies responsibility to diagnose and refer patients in a good manner.

Tries to sell you on his “miracle cures” or any other technique that only he knows how to do or has learned in some “school of thought.”

Insists you have x-rays done as a routine or requirement, or insist on having an EMG scan or other expensive test that is often not necessary.

Uses scare tactics or if he sounds like he’s making a sales pitch on you.

Has a dirty, littered or foul smell in his office.

Cold calls you to announce their presence in your area and tries to make you a free appointment.

All depending on the seriousness or extremity of your condition, you may need to see the chiropractor several times before your condition can be relieved. This is a good reason to choose a chiropractor that works within a reasonable driving distance with hours that suit your schedule. It’s important to have a chiropractor that you can rely on to get into fairly quickly without having to wait a month or so to get in.

On your first visit to the office, what is your general impression? Any doctor’s office should have a clean and professional appearance. The office staff should be able to treat you with the courtesy, respect and professionalism that are expected of a medical establishment. Many offices require you to fill out forms about your general medical history and the problem that brought you to them for the doctor to review with you during a private interview. You should be able to discuss your problem in detail, followed by having vital signs taken, and a number of other neurological and orthopedic tests. You should also have an analysis of your musculoskeletal system functions and structure, to determine if your problem is within the scope of chiropractics. If the doctor insists that other laboratory tests are necessary, ask why. He should be able to provide a clear and concise explanation that makes sense and that is easy for you to understand. The doctor should be able to explain your problem, treatment options and customize a treatment plan that you are able to understand. If he is unable to do this, then he is not the right doctor for you.

The length of treatment varies with each individual. Although your condition may resemble your best friends, it does not mean you will heal as quickly as she did. Everyone’s musculoskeletal system is different and responds differently to treatment. This is why it’s important to do your own research and interviews before settling with a chiropractor. Never let anyone pressure you into seeing a particular doctor.

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Benefits of Chiropractic Care

12:01 pm

The Benefits Of Chiropractic Care

Author: Jim Johnson | There are many benefits of chiropractic care. If you are considering seeking out this type of treatment, there are many reasons why it can and should be done. Those that find themselves with problems with their body often do not realize that chiropractic care can often relieve these problems when other medicinal options will not. Often times, it is necessary to seek out the help of a chiropractor if relief will be found.

What Can They Do For Me?

There are many physical benefits to chiropractic care. Here are just a few of the things that can be made better in your life through chiropractic care.

· Decreased arthritis and pain in joints that have arthritis. · Pain relief from all areas of the body, virtually. · Reduction of pain in the back, legs, feet and knees through the relief of spinal pressure · Less stiffness in the areas that are treated · Less muscle spasms throughout the region · You will be able to move better and more if you were restricted to begin with. · Range of motion will increase. · You have better coordination from taking that step to throwing that baseball. · You have increased energy, self esteem and you just overall feel better

There are additional benefits of chiropractic care as well. When you realign the body as it should be, you relieve pressure throughout it. This often allows you body to begin to heal as it should again. For example, it can help your joints to heal, your tissues to heal and your pains to leave.

Some relief through chiropractic care is actually immediate. Often times, when you lay on a chiropractic table and the doctor works his magic you will get up feeling better. This is due to the fact that the doctor has the ability to realign joints and limbs that are not right now. That means that when he puts them back into place he can and he will provide you with a lot of immediate relief.

Other times, a chiropractic care treatment can leave you a bit sore and aching. This is due to the very same reasons. Consider the fact that your body has been out of line for so long that it is going to feel different and it may hurt a bit to fix it. Although your doctor will tell you what to expect from the chiropractic care treatment, it is a sure thing that benefits are likely if you need them.

Ideally, everyone should seek out a doctor for this type of treatment. Yet, this is not always the case. The benefits of chiropractic care should push more people into doing it because it can be so overwhelmingly beneficial to your body and your mind’s well being.

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Chiropractor Treatment Factors

11:59 am

Author: John Furnem |

There are many things that a professional chiropractor can do to help you with your back problems, in fact the expert chiropractor may be the only medical equipped and specially trained person that can provide constant and medically approved relief for back pain and back problems.

There are many different factors that affect the costs and the prices of chiropractor help, it is usually a factor of a few things that we will review in this article, basically you have to pay for the treatment and there are some costs that go above that. Here is a short list of things that may influence the prices of chiropractic treatments.

Nature of treatment - different chiropractors take different approaches to heal a patient’s ailments. The nature of the recommended remedy also affects the chiropractor treatment cost. Some chiropractors may attempt to remedy a problem using massage.

Some chiropractors use heat therapy in order to fix whatever is wrong with a patient. Others make use of water therapy in order to relax the stress felt by a patient that is causing the illness. Still other chiropractors make use of acupuncture in order to heal an ailment.

Depending on the nature and difficulty of the treatment, the chiropractor cost can either be very cheap or very expensive. Some chiropractor treatments make use of x-rays and ultrasound in order to determine what’s wrong. These procedures can add a bit more to the chiropractor treatment cost.

4) Demand - demand affects everything that’s on the market. If a practitioner is in demand, then chiropractor treatment costs could go up. This is the very same reason why chiropractors who are based in populated areas tend to charge higher than those who practice in rural areas.

5) Insurance - Most types of insurance today do not cover chiropractor treatment costs. This, of course, affects the demand for their services. As a result, the chiropractor treatment costs go down.

In general, Chiropractor treatment costs are affected by the quality of life. It is often the case that people who cannot afford to see a doctor would go to a chiropractor with the hope of finding a solution to their ailment. The greatest asset that chiropractors have is compassion. They are able to connect with people in such a way that they are able to give the impression of a proven science. In fact, many practitioners would argue that they are doctors of a proven science. And who could prove or disprove this claim? The answer to that is no one, except the patients and the chiropractors.

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