Caring For Yourself

Can Poor Posture Really Cause Back and Neck Pain?

December 4, 2015 oblanderchiropractic

In a word, yes!

Unless your back or neck pain has been caused by some type of over-exertion or acute trauma, it’s actually very likely that poor posture is at least a contributing factor. The alignment of the spine—from the neck through the lower back and hips—is critical to the body’s ability to support its own weight and move efficiently, so posture problems (which are often chronic) can gradually lead to pain and reduced mobility.

When it comes to pain in your back or neck, the relationship between poor posture and injury can also be a complicated one. On the one hand, having poor posture makes it more likely that you will suffer an injury. On the other hand, suffering an injury can also affect your posture. Mary Ann Wilmarth, DPT, spokeswoman for the American Physical Therapy Association explains, “Little things add up. You can increase the pressure on your back by 50% simply by leaning over the sink incorrectly to brush your teeth. Keeping the right amount of curvature in the back takes pressure off the nerves and will reduce back pain.”

How posture problems contribute to neck pain

One of the most common posture problems is a “forward head and shoulder posture”. This occurs when someone “hunches over” and places their head in front of their neck. The weight of the head towards the front stresses the lower neck vertebrae, and leads to overworking of the upper back muscles to compensate for the pull of gravity on the head. Many people with this posture problem also have a rounded upper back and rounded shoulders, which can lead to further stress and shoulder pain. Often, poor desk and chair ergonomics contribute to these problems, but even slouching on the couch or at a table with your mobile phone can lead to hunching over.

How posture problems contribute to back pain

The “forward head” posture described above causes stress on the lower cervical vertebrae, which may end up sliding forward relative to each other as a result of gravity. This is a particular problem for people who have jobs requiring them to look forward or downwards all day. Eventually, the prolonged pressure on the cervical vertebrae will irritate the ligaments and soft tissues, radiating downwards to the upper back. This process can lead to disc degeneration, cervical osteoarthritis and herniated discs.

Tips for improving poor posture and relieving back and neck pain

Poor posture is typically the result of habits that have been developed over long periods of time performing the same activities over and over again. Here are just a few of the most common culprits:

Staring at computer monitors or mobile devices that are badly positioned.
Sitting in poorly designed office chairs.
Sleeping on mattresses that don’t provide the necessary support.
Carrying heavy backpacks or purses.

But how do you know which activities are contributing to your poor posture and causing you pain? The clues are usually fairly easy to spot once you know what you’re looking for. For instance, the pain in your neck or back may be worse at some times during the day than at others, or it may come and go with changes in your body position. If you experience fatigue or pain when you first wake up in the morning or after you’ve been sitting at your desk for a couple of hours, it might be time for a new mattress or new office furniture.

The good news is that once you become aware of the activities that are contributing to your posture problems and pain, most can be fixed relatively easily, with no need for either medication or surgery. Learn to recognize when you’re hunching over your computer, slouching in your chair or craning your neck to look at your mobile phone. Then sit up straight, aligning your hips, shoulders and ears in one vertical line.

Sometimes, however, the solution is not so simple—especially when poor posture has caused structural changes in the spine and neck. In these cases, a chiropractor can help by designing posture correction and spinal rehabilitation programs to restore the spine’s normal curvature. These programs will usually involve a combination of mechanical techniques that actively remodel the spine (including the use of braces and molding blocks), exercises and stretches that strengthen postural muscles and restore range of motion, and lifestyle changes to address the root causes.

As experts in diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal conditions, chiropractic physicians are specially trained to recognize and correct postural problems. If you’re suffering from neck or back pain and suspect that your posture may be at least partially to blame, call or visit our office today. We can help!

Do We Really Get Sick More Often During the Winter?

December 3, 2015 oblanderchiropractic

Although your mother may have admonished you when you to bundle up when you went outside during the winter to avoid getting a cold, science shows that this advice is actually pretty ineffective. While it seems to be true that people tend to get sick more often during winter, it has nothing to do with getting a chill. Scientists do have a few alternative explanations for this phenomenon.

First of all, we tend to spend a lot more time indoors when it’s cold outside. Germs are spread far more easily in a crowd or within enclosed spaces. The more people in an enclosed space with a sick person, the more people with an opportunity to become infected. However, this doesn’t explain why children in crowded classrooms get sick more often during winter months, even when the number of students present in the classroom may not change much (or at all) from season to season.

One aspect of winter conditions is that the air is colder and drier. Dry air dehydrates our nasal passages and makes it more difficult for the mucus membranes in our respiratory system to trap and sweep away pathogens, which it typically does more effectively in a warmer, more humid environment. This is one reason why travelers often become ill after enduring a long plane flight– the atmosphere of the cabin is very dry. Add this to the combination we talked about before (lots of people in an enclosed space for a prolonged period of time), and it’s easy to see why a cold virus or flu virus would have a much easier time infecting more individuals in this sort of situation.

In addition, a study has shown that the flu virus in particular survives far longer in cool, dry conditions than in warm ones. Peter Palese and colleagues at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York conducted an experiment on guinea pigs. They found that when guinea pigs were exposed to the flu virus they infected each other quite easily in cool, dry air, but when the temperature was 86°F the guinea pigs could not infect one another at all.

Another theory advanced by some scientists is that in winter our bodies are often low in stores of vitamin D due to a lack of sunlight. Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to cause a reduction in immunity. Given that much of the population in the developed world lives at latitudes where even direct sun is often weak in winter and that these same people are more likely to use sunscreen, it’s not surprising that many don’t have enough vitamin D. Studies show that flu season in different parts of the world correlates with cold weather and short hours of daylight. In the northern hemisphere, cold and flu season runs from November to March, and in the southern hemisphere from May to September. Meanwhile, the tropics have no cold and flu season at all.

Another contributor to a lowered immune system is sugar intake. Around the holidays, people not only find themselves gathering in large groups more frequently (think about office festivities, family celebrations, crowded shopping malls, etc.), but there are also more sweets to be had, which also works to suppress our immune system.

According to health experts, the best thing you can do to avoid winter colds and flu is to wash your hands frequently, since germ-covered hands are the most common way we infect ourselves. It’s not necessary to keep your house at tropical temperatures, but a humidifier may help reduce the drying out of your respiratory passages. Finally, taking a vitamin D supplement and keeping the sweets to a minimum may help reduce the number of times you get sick each year.

Keys to Strengthening Your Immune System

November 27, 2015 oblanderchiropractic

Three girlfriends in white T-shorts jump having waved hands

We are bombarded daily with all sorts of microbes that can cause illness. Interestingly, if we are exposed to a wide range of these microbes as children, studies have shown that we will have a lower risk of asthma and allergies as well as a stronger immune system. There are a number of factors that influence the health of our immune system, including diet, stress, exercise and aging. Following are some strategies you can use to help strengthen your immune system.

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables – These are high in the vitamins, minerals and trace elements you need to help keep you healthy, particularly those high in vitamin C (red bell peppers, strawberries, broccoli, citrus fruits) and zinc (nuts, seeds, wheat germ).

Reduce stress – Chronic stress has been shown to inhibit the production of interleukins and cytokines, which are responsible for stimulating the action of white blood cells. Chronic stress also causes the stress hormone cortisol to be continually released into the bloodstream, which in the long term suppresses the production of pathogen-fighting T cells and antibodies.

Get out in the sun – Insufficient vitamin D has been linked to greater susceptibility to infection. Approximately one out of three Americans is deficient in vitamin D. Try to get out in the sun in the summer months wearing minimal clothing and no sunscreen for 5 to 10 minutes two or three times a week between the hours of 10 am and 3 pm. This will provide you with sufficient vitamin D without increasing your risk of skin cancer. You can also take a supplement in the winter months or if you live in a place without much sun.

Get sufficient sleep – Sleep deprivation increases inflammation and inhibits the immune response. One study found that people who habitually slept less than seven hours each night were nearly three times more likely to catch a cold than people who slept eight hours or more.

Exercise – Moderate exercise has been shown to decrease stress and boost the immune system. Thirty minutes of moderate exercise each day, such as a brisk walk, raises the body’s levels of leukocytes, which are cells that help guard against infection.

Eat probiotics – Perhaps even more important than antibiotics in the fight against infection are probiotics, beneficial bacteria that live in the gut and upper respiratory tract. They boost the immune system by encouraging the production of certain T cells. You can find probiotics in yogurt, sauerkraut and kimchi, or you can take a probiotic supplement.

Avoid sugar – Even 100 grams of sugar, the equivalent of a 24-oz soda, depresses your immune system by reducing the ability of white blood cells to combat bacteria. This effect can last for a few hours after sugar ingestion, so if you are trying to stay healthy, keep away from the sweets!

The Power of Gratitude on Health

November 20, 2015 oblanderchiropractic

How we think and how we process the world around us has a tremendous effect on our health and our happiness. In celebration of this time of Thanksgiving, take some time out for yourself and contemplate all the many things that you have to be grateful for. If you find the task difficult, keep at it – it will get easier. Then, make it a daily habit – you will never be sorry that you decided to make gratitude a daily part of your life!

Here's How Gratitude Affects The Human Body:

The Power of Gratitude

November 19, 2015 oblanderchiropractic

Research done by Japanese scientist Dr. Masaru Emoto with water crystals is fascinating but his research teaches some important health lessons as well. Dr. Emoto has studied the effects of positive energy and negative energy on water. Some of his research has included music and some of his research has included messages given to water. What does that have to do with us – with you and me? Our bodies are 70-80% water. So what holds true for water also holds true for us. For example, Dr. Emoto and his colleagues found that water droplets would form widely different crystalline patterns after being exposed to different kinds of music. Exposure to acid rock would result in a very disrupted crystal while a Mozart symphony would result in a beautifully formed crystal. Below, we have included a blog post written by Dr. Sabrina Chen-See written about Dr. Emoto’s work as well. We hope you will read her blog post and then think about what you are surrounding yourself and your life with and what affect your attitude and gratitude can have on your health. If you would like to learn more about Dr. Emoto’s work, you can read his book Hidden Messages in Water.

Want to know the secret to changing your mental state, your luck, your future and life for the better? It’s simple… it’s by expressing gratitude.

As seen in Dr. Masaru Emoto’s water crystal research, exposing distilled water to the words “Thank You” overnight resulted in a physical change to how the molecules behave. Water exposed to positive words like, “Love”, “Kindness”, “Peace” and “Joy” formed beautiful, intricate snowflake-like water crystals. When exposed to negative words like, “I will kill you”, “War” and “Stupid”, the water crystals would be dark, asymmetrical, ugly blobs.

Gratitude has incredible healing properties. Microwaved water will not form crystals. However, after being blessed, it will then form beautiful crystals. This is scientific proof that the energy of our food is better in meals that are made from scratch with love and in meals that are blessed before consumption. Dr. Emoto concluded the first round of research with this summary:

“If thoughts can do this to water, and we’re 70-80% water, then what is the effect of thoughts on us?”

How do you harness this power of gratitude and channel this power into transforming your life? For lasting change, consider starting a gratitude journal. My gratitude journal is a pocket book with pretty designs throughout. Each morning, write a positive affirmation or quote for the day, such as:

“Always end the day with a positive thought.”

“No matter how hard things were, tomorrow is a fresh opportunity to make it better.”

As the quote says, end the day with something positive. In the gratitude journal, write out 5 things you are grateful for, or something/someone you love. The last thoughts you have before falling asleep repeat themselves 20, 000 to 40, 000 times per night. Journaling like this can make changes to your outlook immediately, and lets the universe know that you are open to abundance. Keep it up for 30 days to ingrain it as a daily habit and continue the rest of your life for ongoing healing of your mind, body and spirit.

To supercharge the power of gratitude, you must take action and show your gratitude each and every day. I’m not talking about making a show of gratitude for recognition. I’m talking about letting the source of what you’re grateful for knowing that they are appreciated, and supporting their efforts. If someone was kind to you, thank them directly. Written thanks (ever notice pretty “Thank You” cards?) are more lasting than a verbal “thanks”. If it was a stranger you’ll never see again, pay it forward with a kindness to another stranger. If you’re grateful for a beautiful sunset or clean air, do what you can to support our environment, to preserve or improve it for future generations. If you’re grateful for your wife/mother preparing meals for you each and every day, support her by setting the table, washing dishes, etc. The key is to help out because you’re grateful, not because you’re obliged to do it. If you’re going through health challenges, you can still be grateful for all your body is doing to heal itself. Support your body by loving it, feeding it good food, resting, chiropractic care, exercising and positive thoughts. If you’ve been blessed with talents and special gifts, show your gratitude by developing them and using them for the betterment of yourself, your family, society, humankind and the planet. – Dr. Sabrina Chen-See

The Benefits of Calcium

October 22, 2015 oblanderchiropractic

Just about everyone has heard about the importance of calcium in maintaining strong bones and teeth. In fact, 99 percent of the calcium in our body is stored in our bones. However, the remaining one percent that is located in our blood and cells is just as important. It is necessary to maintain many of the body’s vital functions, and if you do not get adequate calcium from your diet to keep the required amount in your blood, the mineral will be taken from your bones to meet the need.

Heart rhythm, muscle contraction, wound healing, blood clotting and transmission of messages between nerves and between cells are some of the important things that calcium facilitates. In addition to helping prevent osteoporosis, calcium may also reduce the risk of colon cancer, lower high blood pressure, reduce symptoms of PMS (bloating, food cravings, pain and mood swings) by 50 percent, and protect against breast cancer.

The recommended daily intake of calcium for different groups is as follows:

Infants 0-6 months: 210 mg/day

Infants 7-12 months: 270 mg/day

Children 1-3 years: 700 mg/day

Children 4-8 years: 1,000 mg/day

Adolescents 9-18 years: 1,300 mg/day

Adults 19-50 years: 1,000 mg/day

Adults 51+ years: 1,200 mg/day

Most signs of calcium deficiency do not appear until it has become a serious problem. Increased bone fractures are the most common sign. Severe calcium deficiency can cause tingling or numbness of the fingers, an abnormal heart rhythm and convulsions. However, these cases are rare. Most people are able to meet their daily calcium requirement through their diet, but supplementation may be recommended for some people. Those who drink large amounts of caffeinated beverages, soda or alcohol, and postmenopausal women may benefit from calcium supplements.

Taking too much calcium can also cause problems, so don’t take any more than is appropriate for your age group. Excess calcium intake (most often by taking too many supplements) has been implicated in a higher risk of kidney stones, heart attack, stroke and hardening of the arteries.

Calcium is best absorbed when taken with a meal, along with vitamin D. Magnesium is also necessary for the proper integration of calcium into the bones, but it should be taken separately from when you take your calcium, as it (and iron) can interfere with calcium absorption. So take any magnesium and iron supplements at the opposite end of the day from when you take your calcium.

Foods highest in calcium include dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt, and dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, Swiss chard, mustard greens and bok choy. Other good sources of calcium are sardines, oysters, broccoli, almonds, Brussels sprouts and seaweed.

Youth Concussions in the Spotlight

September 10, 2015 oblanderchiropractic

A concussion is essentially an injury to the tissues or blood vessels in the brain. It can occur when the soft tissues are pressed against the bone of the skull, resulting from an impact or blow to the head experienced during a fall or from sports injury. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a concussion as “a type of traumatic brain injury, or TBI, caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that can change the way your brain normally works.” In addition, the CDC notes that “Concussions can also occur from a blow to the body that causes the head to move rapidly back and forth. Even a ‘ding,’ ‘getting your bell rung,’ or what seems to be mild bump or blow to the head can be serious.”

Shining a Spotlight on Youth Concussions

Over the past few years, there have been a variety of efforts to educate the public about the dangers of childhood concussions. In particular, a great deal of focus has been placed on preventing “second impact syndrome” and managing the recovery of young athletes. For example:

In 2007, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health joined together to create the BrainSTEPS program—a “Return to School Protocol” designed to help shorten the duration of concussion symptoms by eliminating all activity that might worsen the child’s condition. This includes ceasing all physical activities during recess, all sports, physical education classes, and similar activities.

In 2009, Washington State become the first state in the U.S. to enact a comprehensive youth sports concussion safety law (called the Zackery Lystedt Law). By early 2014, 47 other states and the District of Columbia had followed Washington’s lead.

In 2014, the NCAA and the U.S. Department of Defense funded the largest study of sports-related concussions in history to further our scientific understanding. Researchers from 21 schools will “eventually gather data from 35,000 athletes and military academy cadets across all sports at 30 campuses…”

Concussion Symptoms: What Parents Should Know

Mild concussions in childhood are fairly common and are not usually a cause for serious concern. However, childhood concussions should never be taken lightly and it’s important to know what symptoms to look for. These symptoms can vary depending on the severity of the injury and the individual themselves, and some are so mild that they may be difficult to notice. Sometimes they go away quickly, sometimes they return and sometimes their appearance is delayed for days or even weeks. Other times, they linger for years or even get worse.

Dizziness
Loss of consciousness
Seizures
Mild to moderate headache
Mood changes, such as unusual irritability or loss of interest in favorite activities
Difficulty focusing or remembering things
Drowsiness and reduced energy

Ask your child if they have any of the symptoms, and make sure to observe them closely for a few weeks. Your child is at increased risk if they have experienced previous head injury, are taking a blood thinning medicine, suffer bleeding disorders, are under one year old, have other neurological problems, have difficulty walking or are active in high contact sports.

If your child is harder to wake up than normal, shows worsened symptoms, won’t stop crying, doesn’t eat well, has worsening headaches or symptoms that have lasted longer than six weeks, then contact your doctor or caregiver. If your child shows a change in personality, bleeds out of the ears or nose, has trouble recognizing people, or vomits repeatedly, go to the emergency room. Dial 911 in the event of seizures, unequal pupil size and longer-term unconsciousness.

Irrespective of advice you get on the Internet or by phone, if you have any doubt in your mind about your child’s health after a head injury, seek the help of a professional. You know your child best!

Why Age and Aging Are NOT the Same Thing

July 30, 2015 oblanderchiropractic

Almost every human society has a way to mark the passage of time. Similarly, nearly every human society also celebrates the development of its people in one way or another. For some, it’s simply about remembering a specific day on the calendar as a family or community—a birthday. For others, it’s about recognizing special rights of passage that coincide with particular ages. Some do both. However, it is also true to say that we have mixed feelings about getting older. There’s a good reason for this.

Over the years, we gain valuable experiences that build knowledge, wisdom and (if we’re lucky) close personal and professional relationships. But the vast majority of us also lose something in the process—our physical—and sometime mental—health and well-being. Even if we don’t encounter much in the way of illness or injury, most of us simply won’t have the strength, endurance, flexibility, balance and coordination on our 50^th birthday that we did on our 25^th, at the peak of young adulthood. For many people, there is also an eventual cognitive decline—we can’t remember things the way we could when we were younger, it takes us longer to process information and learning new things can seem more difficult. But here’s the good news: your biological age is NOT necessarily the same as your chronological age, and there are specific things you can do to maintain your body’s youthfulness.

Age and aging AREN’T necessarily as closely related as many people believe. Interestingly, a growing body of evidence suggests that everybody grows older at a different pace. Researchers who study biological aging have noticed that some people age much faster than normal while others age much more slowly. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article describing one biological aging study: “Most of the study participants aged one biological year for each chronological year. Some, however, put on as much as three biological years for every one year, while others didn’t increase in biological age at all during the 12-year span the study surveyed. Using a subset of the biomarkers, the researchers calculated that at 38 years old, the participants’ biological ages ranged from 28 to 61.” This is an ENORMOUS difference! What could possible account for it?

While much of the aging process remains a mystery, we are learning more about it all the time. Aging is influenced by our genes, environment, and lifestyle. By the time we reach middle and old age, these factors have had time to make a significant impact on our health. Some of these influences may be positive and others negative.

Genetics

Let’s start with heredity. Genes are powerful predictors of longevity—but there is more to the story than that. Family history definitely influences your health and how long you will likely live, but your day-to-day behaviors can make a difference in the power of genetic predisposition. In other words, you can affect your own longevity and quality of life positively or negatively to some degree based on your own choices about things like diet, exercise, sleep and stress management as well as preventive healthcare. New genetic tests make it possible to know if you are predisposed to some types of diseases so that you can make better decisions earlier in your life.

Environment

The environment can clearly affect our health, particularly the places where we spend the most time living, working and playing. Our exposure to the sun, infectious diseases and toxic chemicals are some obvious physical environmental factors. But there are some less obvious social and psychological ones to consider as well. These include factors like the amount of stress we’re under at work and at home, and the quality of our relationships. As with genetics, environment alone doesn’t guarantee any particular outcomes with respect to our longevity or quality of life. How we interact with our environment and respond to its opportunities and challenges is a very important variable.

Lifestyle Choices

Lifestyle choices such as the food we eat, the drinks and drugs we consume, how much we exercise and how much we sleep can all play a very significant role in our own rate of aging. What researchers and clinicians cannot tell us yet is which of these factors will make the greatest difference in the life of any one individual. That said, we can say a few things with a very high degree of confidence based on our own training and experience.

Nutrition and exercise matter—a lot. And—according to the most up-to-date research—it’s never too late to benefit from eating better and exercising more. Even elderly people can see a meaningful improvement in their health and well-being and a reduction in the incidence of some diseases by starting a healthy diet and exercise program suitable for their age and health status. No matter how old you are, maintaining a healthy weight and a moderate level of fitness will give you a far better chance of enjoying a longer, happier life than someone who leads a sedentary lifestyle.

Some behaviors just aren’t good for you. Smoking, excessive drinking and drug use are all significant predictors of disease and death. If you do any of these things, stopping can have an immediate impact on your likely health and longevity. If you don’t do any of these things, don’t start.

Strong support systems help reinforce healthy habits. It’s true that we all “get along with a little help from our friends.” Surrounding yourself with other people who also lead a healthy lifestyle makes it more likely that you’ll continue on the right path. Family, friends and colleagues who value nutrition, exercise, quality sleep and work-life balance can make a big difference!

Proactive, preventive healthcare is key. While we all do our best at home and at work to avoid illness and injury, it’s also important to work with your doctors to monitor your health and to address any current or potential problems as early as possible.

As you can see, there is no single “magic bullet” to delay or reverse the aging process. However, by being aware of your own family health history, environment and lifestyle options, you can make more thoughtful choices that can add year to your life and life to your years. If you or someone you care about has questions or concerns related to health and wellness, please call or visit our office. We’re here to help!

Mobile Phone Addiction: What the Science Says

June 3, 2015 oblanderchiropractic

Only a few decades ago, telephones were relatively large objects that sat on a desk or a tabletop. Remember those? You picked them up when you needed to call someone, and you never really thought about them at other times, unless the telephone actually rang, indicating that someone was calling you. The very idea that someone could become addicted to a telephone (old-school references to teenage girls aside) would have seemed absurd.

But now, with our mobile phones giving us access not only to voice communications but also to the Internet, it’s quite a different story. In one study conducted by phone provider Gazelle, researchers found behavior that certainly sounds like addiction–-70% of users check their mobile phones compulsively within minutes of waking up, 51% check them while on vacation, and 44% admit to feeling extremely anxious and irritable if they CAN’T continually check their phones. Another study indicates that the average college student uses his or her smartphone for over nine hours a day—longer than most of those students spend sleeping! So it appears that describing modern Americans as addicted to their mobile phones is not hyperbole.

What does science say about mobile phone addiction?

It has been well established that people can become addicted to behaviors in much the same way they can become addicted to substances like drugs or alcohol or nicotine. Many mobile phone users, deprived of their phones for a few minutes, begin to show signs of withdrawal. For such people, losing their phone or having its battery die can literally provoke a panic attack. And research has suggested that this seeming addiction to one’s smartphone increases depending on how many apps one uses, especially email or social media apps. The study of college students mentioned earlier, for example, found that they spent an average of 94 minutes a day texting, 48 minutes sending emails, and 38 minutes checking Facebook.

Checking for messages and responding to them can definitely become a compulsion. One study by Atchley and Warden (published in the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition) offered students a “delayed gratification” test. They were told that they had received a text message from a significant other, and that they could either reply immediately and be paid $5, or wait several hours and be paid $100. Most chose to reply immediately.

Another study conducted in Spain found that over 40% of the young adults they tested spent more than four hours per day on their mobile phones, and that many of them felt so offended at not receiving an expected reply to a text or phone call immediately that they described their feelings as “deeply upset and sad.” This study also found that mobile phone addicts tended over time to neglect important responsibilities like studies or work in favor of time spent on their phones. Some subjects in the Spanish study, when deprived of their phones, displayed symptoms of “anxiety, irritability, sleep disorders or sleeplessness, and even shivering and digestive problems.”

It is important to remember that most of the studies cited in this article are preliminary, meaning that the results have not yet been replicated by follow-up studies. Thus while we can say that mobile phone use is associated with feelings and behaviors we can legitimately describe as signs of addiction, we can’t say for sure yet whether mobile phone use causes those feelings and behaviors. But the research is certainly pointing in that direction.

This is why it’s so important to be self-aware about how you use this technology! The next time you are at a party or in a restaurant and you find yourself communicating with your phone more often than you communicate with your family and friends, the reason may NOT be that your family and friends are boring. It may be that you have developed a few compulsive habits about your own mobile phone use that you might want to look into!

Four Things You May Not Know About Chiropractic Care in the 21st Century

May 12, 2015 oblanderchiropractic

Even as adults, a surprising number of our beliefs are shaped by “casual” or “informal” sources of information, including watercooler conversations with colleagues at work, social media exchanges with friends and family and pop-culture references on TV. Most of the time, we’re not aware of the cumulative effect that this sort of information has on our view of the world—or how much of worldview is really second- or third-hand. Not surprisingly, this is even true when it comes to heath and healthcare.

According to the Pew Research Center, people look to a variety of sources for health-related background, advice and support. For example:

13% Consult online reviews of drugs
21% Get information, care or support from others with the same condition
28% Go online for a diagnosis
33% Have participated in an online social activity related to health in the last year
50% Gather health information online
54% Get information, care or support from friends and family

While access to high-quality health information is undeniably a good thing for the public at large, it can be difficult for most people to judge the accuracy and appropriateness of what they read or hear. This is particularly true on the Internet, where the flow of new misinformation is often accelerated and amplified and where old ideas and misconceptions can be easily repeated and sustained.

In light of new media trends, we thought it might be a good idea to share three facts about chiropractic care in the 21^st century—facts that sometimes get lost in all the “noise” about healthcare.

Chiropractic care is NOT on the “fringes” of modern healthcare. And it hasn’t been for years.

According to the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, chiropractic is the third largest primary healthcare profession in the U.S. (surpassed only by medical doctors and dentists), with over 70,000 active licenses. In addition, the National Center for Health Statistics has reported that 8.5% of the American adult population used chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation in 2012—and that this percentage was significantly higher in many regions of the country.

Chiropractic care has a proven track record in treating a variety of musculoskeletal conditions—particularly back and neck problems—without the use of drugs or surgery.

Over the years, teams from leading academic institutions have published study findings that document the effectiveness chiropractic care in a variety of well-respected, peer-reviewed journals. Public health and consumer research organizations have also regularly reported on the high level of patient satisfaction achieved by chiropractic physicians.

Back in 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services delivered to Congress a report that detailed its findings from a “demonstration project” designed to assess the effects of expanding Medicare coverage for chiropractic services. As part of this work, researchers conducted a satisfaction survey of chiropractic patients. Here’s an excerpt of what they found:

“Sixty percent of respondents indicated that they received ‘complete’ or ‘a lot’ of relief of symptoms from their chiropractic treatments. Satisfaction with care was high, with 87 percent reporting levels of 8 or higher on a 10-point scale and 56 percent indicating a perfect score of 10.”

Interestingly, the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center came to a very similar conclusion based on its own survey data. The Center reported that a larger percentage of patients (59%) were highly satisfied with the back pain treatment and advice they received from chiropractors than were satisfied with the care provided by any other type of healthcare professional. By way of comparison, 44% of patients were highly satisfied with care provided by a specialist physician and only 34% were highly satisfied with care provided by a primary care physician.

Chiropractic care is increasingly provided as part of an integrated, cross-disciplinary approach to the treatment of musculoskeletal problems at leading medical centers and local clinics.

Here’s just one example: At the prestigious Cleveland Clinic, “Chiropractic physicians are established members of the mainstream medical team. They treat problems involving the muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, cartilage and nervous system.”

There is no doubt that patients (and their families and friends) can benefit from reading and hearing the personal anecdotes and stories of others. At the same time, it is important to be aware of the larger patterns and trends as you consider your own healthcare options. Remember—facts are your friends! As chiropractic physicians, we’re experts in diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal problems, and our goal is to help you recover as quickly and completely as possible!

Sharing Chiropractic Health News and Advice Because We are Addicted to Good Health!

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