Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – What Is It?

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) basically occurs when pressure is applied to the median nerve as it travels through the wrist on the palm side resulting in numbness, tingling, pain, and later, weakness of the grip and pinch functions. But, the median nerve can be pinched at many other locations as it courses down from the neck to the hand, which is why we examine and treat the CTS patient from the neck down! The median nerve has been described as the “eye of the hand,” as it is one of the three major nerves formed from the brachial plexus-- that “highway” of nerves made up of the C5-T2 roots leaving the neck, merging together to eventually form the three main nerves of the arm. Because the median nerve function regulates pinch and grip strength, buttoning a shirt, writing a note, driving a car, and even sleeping are ALL affected by a median nerve pinch. But WHAT is CTS? Let’s take an “inside” look!

We know that fast, repetitive motion-related jobs like meat or fish packing plants, assembly line work, sewing occupations, and the like can cause CTS over time. Look at the palm side of your wrist and wiggle your fingers. Do you see ALL THE MOVEMENT that is occurring just before the wrist in the forearm? That motion is coming from the tendons, which like shoe strings, attach the forearm muscles to the fingers. Notice ALL the movement in your forearm muscles closer to the elbow – that’s a lot of motion! There are nine tendons that are covered by a lubricating sheath that help the fast moving tendons reduce friction, thus decreasing the chances for heat build up, swelling (inflammation), and subsequent pain and loss of function. But, there is a limit or threshold that the tendons and sheaths can withstand before they just can’t keep up. These nine tendons and sheaths are quite tightly packed together as they leave the forearm and enter the carpal tunnel.

The carpal tunnel is made up of eight small wrist bones called the “carpal bones,” and ANYTHING that makes that tunnel more narrow can effectively cause CTS. If we look at what happens INSIDE the tunnel in the CTS patient, the venous blood flow and nerve flow (called “axonal transport”) is blocked when the PRESSURE inside the tunnel occurs. We all know what it feels like when a blood pressure cuff is inflated on our arm – if it’s pumped up too high or left on too long, the arm REALLY HURTS! That’s because the blood can’t get past the inflated cuff and oxygen can’t get to our muscles and tissues past the cuff and IT CAUSES PAIN!

To give you an appreciation of the pressure difference between the normal vs. CTS wrist, normally, the pressure ranges between 2 and 10 mmHg. We pump up a blood pressure cuff to about 150-200 mmHg when we take blood pressure, so this is NOT MUCH! This 2-10 mmHg pressure increases when we change the position of our fingers, wrist and forearm with wrist extension (bending the hand backwards), causing the greatest pressure increase. This is why we fit the CTS patient with a wrist “cock-up” splint to be worn at night since you can’t control your wrist position when you sleep and any bent position increases the pressure and can wake you up due to numbness, tingling, pain prompting you to shake and flick your hands and fingers until they, “…wake up.” When CTS is present, the pressure inside the tunnel goes up exponentially, meaning NOT 2 or 3 times, but 6, 12, 24 times what is normal and even higher! Now, if you add wrist bending (extension > flexion), the pressure REALLY gets high and it doesn’t take long for the nerve pinch and blood loss to wake us up. We’ve previously talked about other conditions that can make developing CTS more common or make it worse like hypothyroid, diabetes, arthritis, kidney disease, and more. AGAIN, this is because an increase is pressure results from these conditions (increased swelling = increased pressure = increased symptoms). As chiropractors, we will guide and manage your care through the healing process of CTS using a conservative, NON-SURGICAL treatment approach – TRY THIS FIRST!

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs. If you, a friend, or family member requires care for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, we would be honored to render our services.

Weekly Health Update—Chiropractic Effective for Back Pain During Pregnancy.

Mental Attitude: The Gambler's Fallacy.
The gambler's fallacy is described as a situation when one outcome may seem more likely based on previous results in a game of chance, such as thinking a coin-flip has a greater than 50/50 chance of landing "heads" if the previous four flips landed tail side up. An experiment involving patients with damage to the part of the brain called the insula found that they do not succumb to the gambler's fallacy. This finding suggests that people who are addicted to gambling may have hyperactive activity in this area of the brain and if future studies confirm this, it may lead to a possible treatment for gambling addiction.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, April 2014

Health Alert: Tamiflu & Relenza Not Effective for Flu.
The latest Cochrane Review reveals there is no solid evidence to support the effectiveness of Tamiflu and Relenza, commonly used medications to fight or prevent influenza symptoms. Dr. David Tovey, editor in chief at Cochrane, writes, "Initially thought to reduce hospitalizations and serious complications from influenza, the review highlights that Tamiflu is not proven to do this, and it also seems to lead to harmful effects that were not fully reported in the original publications. This shows the importance of ensuring that trial data are transparent and accessible." Similar results were found regarding Relenza.
Cochrane Systemic Review, April 2014

Diet: Junk Food Diets Prompt Laziness.
New animal-based research indicates that consistently eating processed foods may lead to obesity, inactivity, and feelings of lethargy. This appears contrary to some beliefs that laziness leads to obesity and suggests that a long-term pattern of eating junk food is to blame for obesity and its accompanying health problems. Lead researcher Dr. Aaron Blaisdell writes, “We are living in an environment with sedentary lifestyles, poor-quality diet, and highly processed foods that is very different from the one we are adapted to through human evolution. It is that difference that leads to many of the chronic diseases that we see today, such as obesity and diabetes."
Physiology and Behavior, April 2014

Exercise: Seeing Nature Helps Lower Blood Pressure!
Investigators have found that seeing nature-related imagery while riding a stationary bike can result in lower blood pressure post-exercise than working out without such stimuli.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, April 2014

Chiropractic: Chiropractic Effective for Back Pain During Pregnancy.
A new study confirms that chiropractic care to treat low back pain during pregnancy is both safe and effective. The study involved 115 pregnant patients with low back or pelvic pain who received chiropractic care. Fifty-two percent noticed improvements within one week of starting care. The percentage increased to 70% after one month and 85% after three months. Eighty-eight percent of patients reported improved back and pelvic pain post-delivery one year after the start of the study. These findings suggest that chiropractic care during pregnancy can provide women with lasting health benefits.
Chiropractic and Manual Therapies, April 2014

Wellness/Prevention: More Prevention Needed Regarding Teen Pregnancy.
Though births to teens ages 15 to 17 years of age have decreased in recent years, girls in the United States are still giving birth to an estimated 1,700 babies per week. Investigators for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 73% of teens in this age group (15-17 years old) have not yet had sex. However, they found that among the teens in this age group who are sexually active, 80% had not had any formal sex education before they had sex for the first time. CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden adds, "Efforts to prevent teen childbearing need to focus on evidence-based approaches to delaying sexual activity and increasing use of the most effective methods of contraception for those teens who are sexually active."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, April 2014

Whiplash Self-Care: Part 1

Whiplash is a condition that can occur from MANY causes – in fact, anything that results in a sudden change in the head/neck position. Usually, there is a rapid acceleration that injuries the soft tissues around the neck area by stretching them beyond their limits. Hence, the more accurate terms for whiplash are, “cervical acceleration-deceleration” or CAD as it describes the mechanism of the injury and “whiplash associated disorders” (WAD) describing the degree of injury.

Most commonly, when we think about whiplash, we immediately envision a motor vehicle collision (MVC), but prior to the invention of the automobile, the term “railroad spine” was coined to describe injuries to the neck from crashes that occurred between trains. Since then, due to pilots landing planes on aircraft carriers, sports injuries, and the rise of the automobile, this once rare condition has affected MOST of us at some point in time!

Today’s topic will focus on self-care. What can you and I do for ourselves WHEN we suffer a CAD injury? Since there are different levels of injury severity, keep in mind that EACH CASE IS UNIQUE and we will ONLY be discussing general options. So ALWAYS let your symptoms guide you in the process of care – that is, if you feel a sharp, piercing/stabbing, activity or movement stopping type of pain, STOP!!! Don’t further injure your tissues!!! We will discuss a common WAD II injury (soft-tissue injury limiting motion but not injuring nerves) and we’ll look the acute and sub-acute stages of the injury.

Stage 1 - ACUTE: The inflammatory phase (up to 72 hours). ICE is necessary to decrease swelling (inflammation). Limit motion but try NOT to use a collar unless you have no choice as even small movements that avoid the sharp/knife-like pain are better than no movement at all. A collar may be needed when driving (especially if the roads are bumpy)! Anti-inflammatory herbs like ginger, turmeric, boswellia, bioflavonoid, and others reduce inflammation WITHOUT irritating the stomach, liver, kidneys, and will NOT inhibit the chemicals needed for healing (like NSAIDs do!). Chiropractic care SHOULD begin ASAP after an injury. We may only use gentle manual traction and/or mobilization, also staying within reasonable pain boundaries. It’s been well proven that early movement is best!

Stage 2 - SUB-ACUTE: The repair phase (72 hours to 14 weeks). Ice can continue if it helps control pain. You can also alternate ice and heat at 10/5/10/5/10 minutes, starting and ending with ice (it “pumps” the tissues). Cervical range of motion (ROM) exercises with LIGHT resistance (use 1 or 2 fingers against the head and push in a forward, backward, sideways, and rotating directions first with “isometrics” – not moving the head, and when tolerated, “isotonic” – moving the head against the LIGHT pressure applied in BOTH directions within the range that avoids sharp/knife-like pain. Movement, strength, pain, and coordination are ALL better managed when light resistance + motion is used vs. not moving (isometrics). Self-applied methods of performing “myofascial release” (which we will teach you) include: Self-massage, the use of a tennis ball and/or foam roll, the use of a TheraCane or Intracell (Exercise Stick), and others. During this repair phase, chiropractic adjustments REALLY help!!! We will continue this discussion next month!!!

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs. If you, a friend, or family member requires care for Whiplash, we would be honored to render our services.

Weekly Health Update—Chiropractic: Hand & Practice.

Mental Attitude: Working Memory Boosted by Green Tea.
Consuming green tea may enhance cognitive function, especially a person's working memory. Researchers found that study participants who consumed a beverage that included green tea extract showed increased connectivity between the right superior parietal lobule and the frontal cortex of the brain. This action correlated with enhanced performance on working memory tasks. This finding may lead to new treatment for disorders involving cognitive impairments, such as dementia.
Psychopharmacology, March 2014

Health Alert: Half the Population of the Americas at Risk for Insect-Borne Disease.
Approximately 50% of people living in the Western Hemisphere are at risk of one or more diseases carried by ticks, flies, mosquitoes, and other vectors. Some of these diseases include West Nile virus, Lyme disease, dengue fever, malaria, chagas, and schistosomiasis. Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) adds, “Our region has achieved many successes in controlling vector-borne diseases. However, this success is being threatened by the expansion of mosquitoes and other vectors into new habitats and by the emergence of insecticide and drug resistance. PAHO and its partners are today calling for stepped-up action in the fight against vector-borne diseases in the Americas."
Pan American Health Organization, April 2014

Diet: Eating Legumes Keeps Away Bad Cholesterol.
According to a new report, just one serving of legumes per day can reduce a person's low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. The study found that people who ate 3/4 cups of non-oil-seed legumes each day experienced a 5% reduction of LDL cholesterol. Unfortunately, some participants experienced side effects from eating legumes such as bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, and constipation. Co-author Dr. John Sievenpiper believes that the 5% reduction in LDL cholesterol correlates to a 5-6% risk reduction for major vascular events.
Canadian Medical Association Journal, April 2014

Exercise: Exercise Curtails COPD Hospitalization.
New research suggests that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who exercise at a moderate to vigorous level have a lower risk of hospital readmission within 30 days compared with those who are inactive. Researchers found that patients with COPD who exercised 150 minutes a week or more had a 34% lower risk of readmission within 30 days compared to those who were inactive. The finding suggests exercising three to five times a week will help improve COPD symptoms, physical functioning, and quality of life. Similar results published earlier in 2014 support this finding.
Annals of the American Thoracic Society, April 2014

Chiropractic: Hand & Practice.
The word “Chiropractic” combines the Greek words cheir (hand) and praxis (practice) to describe a treatment done by hand. Hands-on therapy with an emphasis on spinal adjustment is central to chiropractic care. Chiropractic is based on the premise that the relationship between the body’s structure (primarily that of the spine) and its function (as coordinated by the nervous system) affects a person's health.
National Institutes of Health, February 2012

Wellness/Prevention: Vitamin D Insufficiency Increases Fracture Risk.
Women with low blood levels of vitamin D over a five-year period had a greater risk of osteoporosis-related fracture over the following decade.
Osteoporosis International, April 2014

Fibromyalgia “(More) Facts”

Fibromyalgia (FM) has been described as being a “myth” as well as “real” (and probably everything in between the two). This is a VERY controversial disorder that some doctors push under the rug by saying, “….there is no such thing,” while others stake their reputation on it. So with this wide variance in attitude and beliefs about FM, what ARE the facts?

Fibromyalgia has been defined as, “…a complex chronic pain disorder that affects an estimated 10 million Americans” (ref: National Fibromyalgia Association). Women are affected the greatest, but it can affect men and children as well. This condition can be subtle, hardly interfering with life and all of its activities to being totally disabling, disallowing participation in work and the most desired aspects of daily living.

DIAGNOSIS: In 1990, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) introduced the diagnostic criteria for FM. This includes a patients history of “wide spread pain” for at least three months, AND pain in 11 or more of the 18 specifiic tender points using 4 kg of pressure. Due to the significant controversy about the reality of the disease (as stated in the opening paragraph), ONLY a physician knowledgable about FM should make the diagnosis. Along with this diagnostic responsibility, ALL other conditions having similar presenting symptoms as FM, “…must be ruled out” BEFORE making the diagnosis of FM.

SYMPTOMS: Though the hallmark of FM is widespread, generalized pain (in all four body quadrants), a number of other symptoms are common amongst FM sufferers. Some of these include fatigue (moderate to severe), sleep disorders, brain fog, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), headaches (including migraine), anxiety, depression, and environmental sensitivities. Studies suggest that there is a “neuroendocrine” (nerves and hormones) abnormality that may contribute to the FM symptoms.

CAUSES: Research has found a genetic link, as FM is OFTEN seen in several family members (among siblings and/or mothers and their children). “Secondary fibromyalgia” arises AFTER other health-related issues occur such as physical trauma (like an acute injury or illness), which can act as a “trigger” for initiating FM. Recently, more attention has been directed to the central nervous system as the “underlying mechanism” for developing FM. Here, the threshold or level of a stimulus that triggers a painful response is found to be much lower in FM patients compared to a healthy group of people (this is called “central sensitization”). Thus, a pain response is amplified in the FM patient due to this lowered threshold of pain tolerance.

TREATMENT: As there is NO KNOWN cure for FM, symptomatic support and functional improvement are two important primary goals when treating patients with FM. In the medical world, there are MANY drugs that have been utilized for FM (such as sleep aids, muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatory, analgesics, and anti-depressants / -anxiety meds). ALTERNATIVE therapies include massage therapy, chiropractic, myofascial release, acupuncture, herbal supplements, yoga, and other exercise approaches such as swimming and/or simply walking are popular care options for many FM patients. Increasing rest, pacing daily activities (to avoid “over-use”), stress management (relaxation tapes, exercise, and nutritional support can ALL HELP reduce FM symptoms and improve quality of life!

If you, a friend or family member requires care for Fibromyalgia, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services!

Weekly Health Update—Chiropractic Care Improves Type I Diabetes.

Mental Attitude: Depression Common After Surviving Intensive Care.
A new report reveals that one-third of patients experience depression after leaving intensive care. Researchers note that this depression typically expressed itself as physical rather than psychological symptoms such as weakness, appetite change, and fatigue. Study leader Dr. James Jackson explains, "The physical symptoms of depression are often resistant to standard treatment with antidepressant drugs and we need to determine how best to enhance recovery with a new focus on physical and occupational rehabilitation."
Lancet Respiratory Medicine, April 2014

Health Alert: Not in the Pool!
Experts warn that urinating in a swimming pool can pose a serious health risk. Researchers have found that uric acid in urine can generate volatile disinfection byproducts in the pool when it interacts with chlorine. The toxic compounds of concern are cyanogens chloride and trichloramine. Inhalation of cyanogens chloride can negatively affect the cardiovascular system, the pulmonary system, the central nervous system, and can potentially be fatal. Trichloramine is a compound linked to acute lung injury through exposure to chlorine-based disinfectants. The findings support the need to encourage proper pool hygiene.
Environmental Science & Technology, February 2014

Diet: Drinking Milk Slows Knee Arthritis in Women.
New research suggests that osteoarthritis of the knee slows in women who regularly consume low-fat or fat-free milk compared with their peers who do not. Though the study found an association between milk intake and knee health, it did not prove cause-and effect. Further research is needed to determine the role of milk in the delay of osteoarthritis progression, but the findings do suggest the milk consumption plays an important role in bone health.
Arthritis Care & Research, April 2014

Exercise: Over-Training Counterproductive.
Over-training occurs when you do not allow your body to adjust, adapt, and recuperate from the training regimen you take part in and can be detrimental to realizing your fitness goals. Signs of over-training include decreased performance, increased resting heart rate and blood pressure, increased muscle fatigue, gastro-intestinal problems, depression, irritability, apathy, and low self-esteem. Experts recommend starting slowly with your exercise routine and working with a trainer to assess your fitness level and determine a more personalized training program.
American Society of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, April 2014

Chiropractic: Chiropractic Care Improves Type I Diabetes.
A four-year-old child with type I diabetes was able to better control her blood sugar after undergoing two months of chiropractic care. The patient's hemoglobin A1C decreased from 7.2% to 6.5% and her insulin use decreased from 15 units to 11 units per day. This case study supports the optimizing effects of chiropractic care on function throughout the body.
Journal of Pediatric, Maternal, & Family Health, November 2013

Wellness/Prevention: Alcohol is a Leading Cause of Preventable Cancer Death.
Scientists from the Boston University School of Medicine and Boston University School of Public Health report that alcohol consumption leads to about 1 in 28.6 cancer deaths in the United States, including 15% of all breast cancer deaths. Although heavy drinking is linked to the greatest risk for alcohol-related cancer death, even 1.5 drinks per day or less accounts for nearly 30% of all alcohol-related cancer fatalities. Lead study author Dr. Timothy Naimi adds, "The relationship between alcohol and cancer is strong, but is not widely appreciated by the public and remains underemphasized even by physicians… Alcohol is a big preventable cancer risk factor that has been hiding in plain sight."
American Journal of Public Health, April 2013

Headaches: How Does Chiropractic Help?

Headaches (HA) can be tremendously disabling, forcing sufferers away from work or play into a dark, quiet room to minimize any noise and light that intensifies the pain. According to the National Headache Foundation, there are over 45 million Americans who suffer from chronic, re-occurring headaches, of which 28 million are of the migraine variety. Also, approximately 20% of children and adolescents deal with headaches that can interfere significantly with their daily routines. There are many different types of headaches and many sub-types within the main categories. Here are a few: Tension HA (also, called cervicogenic HA), migraine, mixed headache syndrome (a mixture of migraine and tension HAs), cluster (less common but the most severe), sinus headaches, acute headaches, hormone headaches, chronic progressive headaches (traction or inflammatory HAs), and MANY more! Just “GOOGLE” “headache classification” for the daunting list! Let’s take a look at how chiropractic manages these headaches!

According to a study completed in 2005, a review of the published literature revealed good evidence that intensity and frequency of HAs are indeed helped by chiropractic intervention. They limited their review to cervicogenic headaches and spinal manipulation and noted the need for larger scale studies. The well-respected Cochrane database reported spinal manipulation (SM) as an effective treatment option with short-term benefits similar to amitriptyline, a commonly prescribed medication for migraine HA patients.

For cervicogenic HA, the combination of neck exercises and SM was found to be effective in both the short- and long-term, and SM was superior to massage or placebo (sham or “fake” manipulation). Regarding the question of treatment frequency of SM plus up to two modalities (heat and soft tissue therapy), a preliminary study found that when comparing patients receiving one, three, or four visits per week for three weeks, those receiving 9-12 treatments during the three weeks had the most benefit. Regarding the questions, “what is affected by SM” and, “why does SM work” for cervicogenic HA patients, a study describes the intimate relationship between the upper cervical nerve roots (C1-3), the trigeminal (cranial nerve V), the spinal accessory (cranial nerve XI), and the vascular system. Inflammation within these structures and their relationship with the trapezius and SCM muscles help us understand the “why” and “how” of SM and referred pain pattern to the face and head in those with cervicogenic HAs. Realizing this is a bit “technical”, feel free to GOOGLE these structures and you’ll appreciate the close proximity they have to each other and how adjustments, or SM, applied to the upper cervical spine can affect this region. It has also been reported that SM and strengthening of the deep neck flexor muscles benefits the cervicogenic HA patient. Many HA sufferers have combinations of symptoms including dizziness, neck pain, concentration “fog”, fatigue, and others, which were found to also respond to SM applied to the upper cervical spine. One study reported a 36% reduction in pain killer medication use in a group of cervicogenic headache patients receiving SM but no reduction in the patient group receiving soft-tissue therapy. The list of research studies goes on and on! So WHAT are you waiting for? TRY CHIROPRACTIC for your headache management!!!

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs. If you, a friend, or family member requires care for headaches, we would be honored to render our services.

The “Aging” Lower Back – Part 2

Last month, we started a series on low back pain (LBP) in the geriatric population, and we discussed osteoarthritis (OA) and degenerative disk disease (DDD). As reported last month, this group of conditions often co-exist in this population, so we will continue this discussion this month…

A unique condition associated with OA and DDD is called “spinal stenosis” (SS). Stenosis means “narrowing,” and it applies to two locations in the spine: 1) The holes through which the nerves in our neck and back exit out of the sides of the spine (called “intervertebral foramen” or, IVF); and, 2) The “spinal canal” through which the spinal cord travels. When narrowing occurs on the sides of the spine where the nerves exit, it’s called, “lateral spinal stenosis.” When the spinal canal narrows, it’s called “central spinal stenosis.” Our spinal cord starts up in the neck as an extension off the brain stem and usually ends at the junction between the middle and lower back (around T12/L1) with the “cauda equina” (which literally means, “horses tail”) and extends downward.

The cauda equina is made up of many nerves that travel down and exit out the sides of the lumbar spine (through the IVFs) and sacrum (tail bone) and transfer information (motor and sensory) to and from our legs and brain. When the size of the canal through which these nerves travel close down or narrow enough, sufferers will initially start feeling vague symptoms of leg heaviness or fatigue after walking for 30 or more minutes. As years pass and the IVFs or central canal become gradually more narrow, it may get to the point where a person can only walk a short distance because their legs, “…just won’t move.” A classic complaint of SS is only being able to walk for four to five minutes prior to needing to sit down for 30 seconds to a few minutes (usually five minutes at the most) after which time the leg complaints resolve and the process repeats itself. When the nerves are compressed in these tight canals and the legs become heavy and hard to move, the term, “neurogenic claudication” is used. Another “classic” finding of SS is that RELIEF occurs when the patient bends forward, such as on a grocery cart or, simply stopping and bending over can be immediately relieving in many cases.

Chiropractic adjustments and other techniques are often very helpful in these cases if it is not too far advanced. The good news is that it usually helps, so prior to considering surgery or injections for this, give chiropractic a try – it’s less invasive and safer. We can always refer you to the next step if the condition becomes too advanced and/or if the results become less satisfying.

Compression fractures are another common cause of back pain in the elderly population. They're often caused by minor trauma in the presence of poor bone density (osteoporosis) which accounts for about 700,000 of the 1.5 million osteoporotic fractures. Interestingly, many patients do not know what they did to cause these fractures so only 25-30% actually go to doctors and have this positively diagnosed (by x-ray). Treatment varies depending on what the percentage of fracture occurred (a little vs. a lot), and in unstable cases, a procedure called kyphoplasty (where cement is injected into the collapsed vertebral body) may be appropriate. As chiropractors, we can help this population by offering nutritional counseling to improve bone density and often provide symptomatic relief with adjustments (low force types) and other modalities.

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs. If you, a friend, or family member requires care for back pain, we would be honored to render our services.

Weekly Health Update—Chiropractic: Increasing Reports of Pain Among College Students.

Mental Attitude: Good News if You are Obsessive-Compulsive.
Research that involved questioning nearly 800 university students from sixteen countries shows that 94% of people experience unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, and/or impulses. These findings confirm that these thoughts are extremely common, which can reassure obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients that they are not that different from everyone else in this regard. Co-author Dr. Adam Radomsky explains, "This study shows that it's not the unwanted, intrusive thoughts that are the problem - it's what you make of those thoughts. And that's at the heart of our cognitive and behavioral interventions for helping people overcome OCD."
Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorder, April 2014

Health Alert: Drug-Resistant Germs Found on Cutting Boards!
Swiss scientists analyzed cutting boards from hospital cafeterias and private home kitchens after they were used to cut poultry but before the boards were washed. They found that 6.5% of hospital cutting boards and 3.5% of household cutting boards were contaminated with drug-resistant E. coli bacteria. This could pose a major health risk if the cutting boards are reused before being properly disinfected or if any food exposed to the cutting boards is not cooked at high enough temperatures to kill any bacterial contamination.
Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, April 2014

Diet: Risk of Food Poisoning Higher in Restaurants.
Over the course of a decade in the United States (US), more people contracted food poisoning as a result of eating at a restaurant than eating at home. During this time, more than 1,600 restaurant-related food poisoning outbreaks sickened over 28,000 people while nine hundred food poisoning outbreaks were linked to homes, which affected over 13,000 individuals. Fortunately, the study found that food borne illness has decreased by 42% from 2002 to 2011.
Center for Science in the Public Interest, April 2014

Exercise: Does Specializing in One Sport Ensure Future Success?
Contrary to what some parents and coaches believe, researchers have found no evidence that athletes were more successful at earning a college scholarship or in starting a professional career if they only played one sport starting at a very young age. It appears that most of today's successful athletes enjoyed multiple sports as children and waited until their teens to focus on only one sport.
American Society of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, April 2014

Chiropractic: Increasing Reports of Pain Among College Students.
A comparison of survey data from Finnish university students taken in 2000 and 2012 shows an increasing trend of musculoskeletal complaints among that population. Researchers report that 29% of students reported dealing with neck and shoulder-related pain on a weekly basis in 2012 compared with 25% in 2000. Low back pain complaints increased from 10% to 14%, limb and joint pain increased from 7% to 8%, and temporomandibular joint pain increased from 4% to 5%.
European Journal of Pain, March 2014

Wellness/Prevention: Better “Bedside Manner” Affects Patients' Health.
A review of 13 clinical trials has found that doctors who have been given training to improve their people skills have patients who respond more favorably in efforts to lose weight, lower their blood pressure, or manage their pain. Dr. Alan Christensen, a professor of psychology at the University of Iowa, adds, “It's important to be able to demonstrate that clinicians can learn to change how they interact with patients, and that it affects health outcomes."
PLOS ONE, April 2014