Mesothelioma and Chiropractic Care
Chiropractors are often thought of as the doctor one visits when having back problems or pain.
But chiropractic care can do much more than just treat back and spine ailments.
For example, according to the American Chiropractic Association, chiropractors:
“have a deep respect for the human body’s ability to heal itself without the use of surgery or medication. These doctors devote careful attention to…
- biomechanics
- structure and function of the spine
- its effects on the musculoskeletal and neurological systems
- and the role played by the proper function of these systems in the preservation and restoration of health.
A doctor of chiropractic is one who is involved in the treatment and prevention of disease, as well as the promotion of public health, and a wellness approach to patient healthcare.”
Some cancer patients have added chiropractic care into their treatment routine to help control pain and relieve headaches, tension and stress.
Alleviating these symptoms and treatment side effects can make the treatment process much easier and more comfortable for cancer patients, including those diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Chiropractic Care & Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that forms in the mesothelial cells that make up the lining of the lungs, heart and abdomen. The primary cause of this cancer is exposure to asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral that was used extensively in construction throughout the 20th century because of its durability and resistance to fire.
The majority of cases are diagnosed when the cancer is advanced because symptoms can take anywhere from 20 to 50 years to become noticeable.
In 2001, a study was published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics that observed a 54-year-old man who was diagnosed with lung cancer.
The study showed that a patient who had undergone surgery to remove the cancer was still experiencing a significant amount of pain for a year afterward. In an attempt to remedy the situation, he began seeing a chiropractor. After the first 2 visits to the chiropractor he was able to stop using all of his pain medications.
This is a great example of how chiropractic care can improve a cancer patient’s quality of life.
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Why Chiropractic Care is Important for Good Health
As a practicing chiropractor in Connecticut, I get asked a lot of questions from new patients. Some of the more common ones are:
- Why is chiropractic care important to my health?
- What will chiropractic treatment do for me?
- Why should I continue chiropractic care even after I’m no longer in pain?
First I’ll address one of the big MYTHS regarding chiropractic care. In turn this will address each of the questions listed above…
Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care does NOT involve “moving” (or worse yet, cracking) your bones. The fact is, chiropractors do NOT move bones around.
So what do we do?
Chiropractic care involves the manipulation of your muscles. And since muscles are responsible for moving bones, manipulating your muscles helps to remove any interference from your nervous system.
Why is this important?
Well, since the nervous system controls ALL of the electrical communication to and from your brain, primarily down the spinal cord to the other parts of the body, proper nervous system function affects ALL of your internal organs as well.
When the communication pathway is obstructed or interfered with the body is in a state of dysfunction (abnormal behavior).
This will cause the body to adapt to the changes so that we can continue about our business. And this is where the problem begins.
You can think of it as creating new habits.
With the onset of “abnormal” changes your body will draw on other muscles to do work that they are not really designed for. After a while the body will begin to wear down and injuries will begin to occur.
This extra stress can drain many body functions including organ function and the endocrine system (hormones, glands, cell processes).
Chiropractic Care versus Other Treatment Modalities
If we use the conventional method of treating the onset of these physical problems, i.e.
- resorting to pain killers or
- over the counter medicine
nothing will really have been done to the ROOT cause of the problem.
To borrow from an analogy about cars (not that I’m a mechanic or anything), but if your engine as a bad oil leak, adding a new can of oil everyday does NOT fix the leak. It only allows you to drive the car one more day.
In other words, you will have done nothing to heal the area and eventually it’s quite possible that other and greater problems will arise.
Sure, “normal” treatments will allow a person to continue about their business without feeling any pain.
But at what cost?
That’s because NOT treating the root cause can cause greater damage to the area since the underlying problem remains unaddressed. And in time it will continue to aggravate the condition (and make it worse).
Chiropractic care seeks to address and treat the ROOT CAUSE of the problem.
Chiropractors seek to restore the communication pathways to and from the brain. And this obviously includes the spinal cord (the MAIN pathway to and from the other body structures – which is why so many of us have pictures of the spine on our business cards, etc.).
Only by restoring balance can the body ultimately heal itself. That’s the point. That’s the true nature of the body.
So chiropractic “tune ups” will allow the communication pathways to remain open and flowing to prevent future injuries and help the body heal current injuries.
To learn more about chiropractic care feel free to leave a comment here. As a practicing chiropractor in East Haven Connecticut, kindly visit my website to check out office hours and contact information.
We look forward to hearing from you! So don’t be shy! And if you come by the office we will NOT “crack” any of your bones. Promise…
Pregnancy and Chiropractic Therapy
Women Have Special Needs During Pregnancy
As many new mothers can attest, the muscle strains of pregnancy are very real and can be more than just a nuisance. The average weight gain of 25 to 35 pounds, combined with the increased stress placed on the body by the baby, may result in severe discomfort.
Studies have found that about half of all expectant mothers will develop low back pain at some point during their pregnancies.
“I first came to see Dr. Sollose when I was five months pregnant after pulling a muscle in my neck. He performed acupuncture, along with adjustments, which quickly alleviated my pain. I continued to see Dr. Sollose to treat lower back pain and pelvic pain associated with my pregnancy. This pain a created tremendous amount of discomfort which impacted my ability to fully focus while at work. Due to my treatment, I was able to continue working full time with no impact on my physical well being or career.”
Christine – Brookfield, CT
Additionally, many pregnant women experience headaches, muscle cramps, and nerve pain associated with joint restrictions of the spine which are caused by the enlarged and expanding uterus.
Chiropractic care is very effective at treating the pains and strains associated with pregnancy and is safe for both the mother and baby.
“As my pregnancy progressed, I experienced increasing pain in my wrists and hands which was interfering with my job and preventing me from handling my two year old son. Dr. Sollose diagnosed me with Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, which is apparently not uncommon during pregnancy, and treated me with both chiropractic care and acupuncture. After a few treatments, I was pain free and able to perform normally at work and care for my son.”
Debra – Redding, CT
Chiropractic care can help to:
- Alleviate neck, low back pain and other joint pain associated with pregnancy (e.g. knee, hip, wrist, ankle);
- Naturally boost the immune system (e.g. prevent and reduce respiratory congestion);
- Relax tight and tense muscles;
- Strengthen weak pelvic muscles;
- Improve posture;
- Realign body postures, primarily the spinal column.
During your pregnancy, choose a chiropractor who is experienced with treating pregnant women, and who will cooperate with your obstetrician and/or midwives in your patient care.
“I was six months pregnant and started experiencing severe low back pain which prevented me from sitting or standing for long periods of time, not to mention sleeping at night. After my first treatment with Dr. Sollose, I felt instant relief from the pain and was able to move better and sleep more comfortably.”
Lori – Brookfield, CT
If you or someone you know is experiencing any pain or discomfort due to pregnancy, consider stopping by our office in Brookfield Connecticut for an evaluation. One treatment really can make all the difference.
Research Report: Vertigo Helped With Chiropractic…
According to a Scientific Study
A few years ago a research report was cited in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (the November 8, 2006 Issue). The study cited in the article described how patients suffering from vertigo benefited from chiropractic care.
So what exactly is vertigo? Wikipedia defines it as:
“Vertigo (from the Latin vertigin-, vertigo, “dizziness,” originally “a whirling or spinning movement,” from vertō “I turn”[1]) is a specific type of dizziness, a major symptom of a balance disorder. It is the sensation of spinning or swaying while the body is actually stationary with respect to the surroundings.
The effects of vertigo may be slight. It can cause nausea and vomiting and, in severe cases, it may give rise to difficulties with standing and walking.”
Vertigo is often characterized by dizziness with a sensation of spinning. Because of the feeling of movement or rotation, many sufferers also feel nausea and can experience the feeling of being “lightheaded.” Many people also experience balance problems.
The diagnosis of vertigo is typically based on the symptoms of the patients as there are not specific lab tests and the patients may have a variety of situations that seem to be related.
In the study cited by JVSR, the nervous system was looked to for a causal relationship. 60 patients who were diagnosed by their medical physicians as having various forms of vertigo, received chiropractic care and the results were documented and published.
Of the 60 patients in this study, 56 reported having some form of physical trauma prior to the onset of their vertigo. Of these 25 had reported having automobile accidents, 16 had suffered a sports injury including skiing, bicycling, or horseback riding, and 6 slipped and fell on ice.
It was noted that all of these individual’s suffered trauma to either their head or neck area.
Upon initial examinations of the subjects, it was reported that vertebral subluxations were found in all 60 patients.
Analysis procedures using paraspinal digital infrared imaging and laser-aligned radiography, were performed in order to have a consistent means of measuring subluxation findings and progress of correction.
Specific chiropractic care for the correction of subluxations was rendered to all 60 subjects in this study. The results showed that all of the patients in this study responded positively to the chiropractic care. The time frame for the responses varied from between one and 6 months.
Of the original 60 patients, 48 were totally symptom free within six months. The remaining 12 patients had also shown good improvement by either decreases in severity or frequency in episodes of vertigo.
In the conclusion, the author of the study noted:
“A causal link between trauma-induced upper cervical (neck) injury and the onset of vertigo appears to exist. Correcting the injury to the upper cervical spine through the use of IUCCA protocol (a form of chiropractic care) appears to improve and/or reverse vertigo disorders.”
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Kids With Low Back Pain Benefit from Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic and Kids: A Case Study
A study published back in the January 2003 issue of the peer-reviewed periodical, Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT), is the result of a study on lower back pain in children.
You can read the abstract of the article by following the link to the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT).
The journal article outlined a few key stats with regard to children and lower back pain:
- 50% of children suffer from lower back pain at one time or another
- 15% of children experience frequent or continual pain
The study was conducted on 54 children between the ages of 4 and 18 in the cities of Calgary, Alberta, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
In the study the children with lower back pain received chiropractic care from a variety of volunteer chiropractors in Canada. The children were tracked regularly during the study to monitor their progress. Results were obtained in several ways including responses from the patients themselves on how they felt their progress was coming.
Results of the study showed improvement over the follow-up period was observed in 46% to 92% of the children for various criteria.
Additionally, in a period of 30 days 82% of the children reported that they were “much improved.”
The researchers conclusions were:
“Patients responded favorably to chiropractic management, and there were no reported complications.”
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Sciatica? Surgery No Better Than Waiting
Surprised? Many people are shocked to learn that treating sciatica with surgery is about as effective as doing nothing.
And the basis for making such a claim comes from an important source: the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
JAMA published a study in their November 22/29, 2006 issue. The same study was also reported on in an Association Press (AP) story of November 22, 2006. The basis for the report comes from two large US government funded studies on patients suffering from sciatica.
Sciatica Study
In this study 472 patients with an average age of 42 were assigned to either have surgery or watchful waiting. However, many of the patients assigned to one of the two groups switched groups and decided to go against the group they were assigned to.
However these subjects were still followed for 2 years to see how they responded from whichever group they ultimately wound up in. Those that had the surgery were compared to those that did not for both bodily pain and physical function.
The study shows that patients who have been diagnosed with herniated disks creating sciatica had “no clear-cut reason to choose an operation over other treatment.”
According to the researchers in this study patients who suffered from these problems showed significant improvement over two years time regardless of whether they had back surgery or not.
Dr. James Weinstein of Dartmouth Medical School and lead author of the study suggested that based on the findings of this study patients should choose whether they want to get the surgery or not, based on their own desires. He stated…
“If you don’t want the risk of surgery, you can do watchful waiting.”
The article notes that about 250,000 Americans go under the knife for herniated disks each year.
However, they also report that an equal number choose not to have surgery, which costs $6000 on average, and instead choose other types of care.
Care to comment? We look forward to your feedback on this and related other issues.
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Chiropractic Care: Alternative Therapy or Mainstream Treatment?
The headline of this post first appeared as the headline to a story appearing in the Daily News Central from Las Vegas Nevada. A similar report also appeared on the June 30, 2005 WebMD website.
So what do both reports have in common?
Both articles reported that a Consumer Reports survey of more than 34,000 of their readers were asked to rank the treatments that worked best for them.
According to those who responded to the survey, hands-on treatments, such as chiropractic, worked better than conventional treatments for such conditions such as
- back pain
- neck pain
- arthritis
Additionally, chiropractic was ranked ahead of all conventional treatments, including prescription drugs, by readers with back pain.
Respondents also noted that chiropractic provided relief for neck pain as well.
In addition to chiropractic, people who responded to the survey also used such non-medical services as
- acupuncture
- deep tissue message, and
- herbal remedies,
Interestingly enough, respondents noted that these other therapies were less effective than chiropractic.
Many chiropractors however, resist being labeled as alternative, maintaining that chiropractic has become a mainstream service.
For instance, according to the Center for Studies in Health Policy:
“The Doctor of Chiropractic can provide all three levels of primary care interventions and therefore is a primary care provider, as are MDs and DOs. The Doctor of Chiropractic is a gatekeeper to the health care system and an independent practitioner who provides primary care services. The DC’s office is a direct access portal of entry to the full scope of service.”
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