Why More People Are Choosing Chiropractic

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Chiropractic care is enjoying an upsurge in popularity as more people are veering away from invasive procedures and pharmaceuticals in favor of more natural treatment options for their pain. A recent Gallup poll for Palmer Chiropractic College confirms this. Of the people surveyed:

  • More than 35.5 million people said they sought chiropractic care within the 12 month (the Gallup survey was conducted from February 8, 2016 through March 11, 2016).
  • 95% said chiropractic was effective in treating their condition.
  • 89% said they would recommend chiropractic to friends and family.
  • 97% said that they would likely see a chiropractor for neck or back pain.
  • 88% said that chiropractic care is a good value for the money.

Non-Drug Treatments for Back Pain should be Sought First

In April 2017, the American College of Physicians published their updated guidelines for managing and treating low back pain. They recommended seeking non-drug treatments, which include the application of heat, exercise, stress reduction, and spinal manipulation, before turning to medications. The purpose is to steer patients away from unnecessary medicating and toward healthier, more natural options as a first line of defense in managing low back pain.

Another study published in2017 in the Journal of the American Medical Association supported spinal manipulation as a preferred first treatment option over pharmaceuticals for patients with acute low back pain. While these recommendations are primarily in response to the opioid epidemic, it is also in response to the numerous studies that show chiropractic care is safe and effective for back pain management.

Chiropractic is a Healthier, Safer Option

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that opioid abuse and overdose has reach epidemic proportions. An estimated 91 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. This includes opioids obtained by a prescription from a doctor.

Popular pain medications like oxycodone and hydrocodone have seen steadily increasing abuse, overdose, and death rates over the past two decades. In fact, deaths caused by overdose of these drugs as well as methadone and others, have quadrupled since 1999.

These medications are highly addictive and have many unpleasant and even dangerous side effects. While most states are taking aggressive steps to curb the over-prescribing of these medications, patients are still finding ways around the prescribing guidelines and restrictions. This is a compelling reason for patients to seek natural, non-medicinal pain relief options first – and for their doctors to recommend them.

More People are Turning to Natural Remedies

Many patients are simply getting fed up with invasive treatments and numerous pills. They are now turning to remedies that are more natural. One benefit of chiropractic and other natural remedies is that they rarely treats only the symptom.

Instead, it addresses the root of the problem to treat the cause. This approach has many benefits beyond being medication free and non-invasive. When the cause of the condition or problem is corrected, it can eliminate other troubling symptoms as well.

Chiropractic is a Healthier, Whole Body Option

A patient who sees their chiropractor for low back pain may find that after a few treatments, their headaches, constipation, and digestive issues are also resolved. This is because chiropractic treats the body as a whole, unlike traditional medicine that tends to treat it in parts.

Everything is connected in the body. A problem in one area could easily cause problems in other areas. By correcting the root of the problem, the patient receives more rounded healthcare.

Where traditional medicine will often opt to prescribe a pain pill for lower back pain, chiropractic care looks for the cause of the back pain and treats the pain symptom from the cause. The chiropractor may advise lifestyle changes, changes in diet, and even recommend supplements. With chronic health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity increasing at an alarming rate, chiropractic care offers a solution that treats the body as a whole in a more natural, safer way.

Visit www.ocwc.ca for more health and wellness information and tips!

Why Senior Citizens Need Chiropractic

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Chiropractic care is a safe, natural treatment for people of all ages and senior citizens can definitely benefit from it. It is far more preferable than many other options including pharmaceuticals with their unpleasant and even harmful side effects, and surgery. Several studies have even shown that regular chiropractic treatment benefits geriatric patients and can even help keep them out of long-term care facilities and nursing homes. In short, seniors who get chiropractic on a regular basis are healthier and also enjoy these great benefits.

Reduced Risk of Degeneration of the Joints (Including the Spine)

When the spine is not aligned it can cause wear and friction on the joints, resulting in damage. Regular spinal alignment keeps the spine in the correct position so that the body is balanced. It reduces the risk of spinal degeneration as well as certain types of arthritis by decreasing the amount of stress on the spine and bringing it into a more normal, natural alignment.

Improved Range of Motion

As a person gets older, their range of motion decreases. This is especially true of people who are sedentary or who have sustained an injury that kept them confined to a bed or wheelchair for a long time.

Helping improve a person’s range of motion is one of the best benefits of chiropractic. While there are certain levels and each person has a goal for how much range of motion they want, a chiropractor can help them get as close to those goals as possible.

Better Coordination and Balance

Most of the coordination and balance problems that seniors experience come from degenerative changes or injuries that affect the cervical spine. The back side of the cervical spine joints houses mechanoreceptors, structures that are responsible for providing the brain with vital information that regulates coordination and balance. When that area is compromised their function is hindered. By stimulating the mechanoreceptors, a chiropractor can help restore or improve the condition.

Decreased Risk of Falls

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in the United States, every second of every day some older adult falls. Among Americans who are age 65 and older, there are 850,000 bone fractures each year and falls are the cause for 90% of them. A chiropractor can stimulate the mechanoreceptors which reside in the cervical spine, normalizing them and helping to restore the patient’s balance and coordination.

Stronger Immune System and Better Health

When the spine is properly aligned, the body is better able to function as it should. This includes the digestive system, respiratory system, and even the heart. Neural impulses can be transmitted and received more efficiently and effectively.

This strengthens the immune system making the patient less susceptible to illness and disease. Regular care can provide better health and wellness while improving the patient’s quality of life.

More Effective Pain Management

Chiropractic has been proven time and again to be one of the safest, most effective methods for treating pain, particularly those that involve the spine. Chiropractic helps to correct the problem that is causing the pain and helps treat the soft tissue structures that are around the area. Where pain medicine, muscle relaxants, and anti-inflammatory medication are little more than band-aids that treat the symptoms while ignoring the cause, chiropractic gets to the root of the problem and begins treatment there.

In addition to spinal adjustments, the chiropractor will typically recommend stretching and special exercises as well as lifestyle changes and diet modifications. Elder patients benefit from the whole body, holistic approach to health care that is at the heart of chiropractic. The result is better health and better quality of life.

Visit www.ocwc.ca to learn more about our wellness chiropractic doctors. Call (780)455-2112 to book an appointment!

How Chiropractic Can Help Prevent Migraine Headaches

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Migraines affects an estimated 38 million people, including children, in the United States alone. Worldwide, that total jumps to 1 billion. In fact, migraine ranks number three among prevalent illnesses in the world and number six among disabling illnesses. More than 90% of people who suffer from migraines are not able to function normally or work during an attack.

A migraine attack is often debilitating and extremely painful. It is also very difficult to stop once it starts. The best treatment for migraines is preventing them from every occurring. There are several methods that work for some people, but chiropractic is a popular preventative measure that many people have found to help them be migraine free.

Migraine Symptoms

A severe headache is the first thing people think of regarding migraines, but there are other symptoms which include:

  • Pain located on one or both sides of the head
  • Photophobia (sensitivity to light)
  • Blurred vision or other visual disturbances
  • Pain that is pulsing or throbbing
  • Lightheaded and possibly fainting
  • Hypersensitivity to smell, taste, or touch
  • Loss of motor function or in more severe cases, partial paralysis (such as with hemiplegic migraine)

Some migraineurs experience auras prior to an attack, usually around 20 to 60 minutes. This can give the patient time to take certain measures to stop the attack or minimize it. However, it is still a good course of action to incorporate certain activities into your lifestyle that can prevent migraines.

Causes of Migraines

Doctors don’t know the exact causes of migraines, but research does indicate that there are certain triggers that can initiate an attack. Some of the more common migraine triggers include:

  • Foods – Processed foods, salty foods, aged cheeses, and chocolate.
  • Beverages – Coffee and other caffeinated drinks as well as alcohol (particularly wine)
  • Hormonal changes – Occurs mainly in women, usually during menopause, menstruation, and pregnancy.
  • Food additives – Monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aspartame as well as certain dyes.
  • Stress – Environmental, tress at home or work, or illness that puts stress on the body.
  • Sleep problems – Getting too much sleep or not getting enough sleep.
  • Sensory stimuli – Sun glare and bright lights, strong smells like secondhand smoke and perfume, and certain tactile stimulation.
  • Medication – Vasodilators (nitroglycerin) and oral contraceptives.
  • Physical exertion – Intense exercise or other physical exertion.
  • Jet lag
  • Weather changes
  • Skipping meals
  • Change in barometric pressure

Some research also shows a possible serotonin component. During a migraine attack, serotonin levels drop. Serotonin is integral to regulating pain in the nervous system.

Migraine Treatments

Migraine treatments are classified as either abortive or preventative. Abortive medications primarily treat symptoms, usually pain relief. They are taken once a migraine attack has already begun and are designed to stop it. Preventative medications are usually taken daily to reduce the frequency of migraines and the severity of attacks. Most of these medications can only be obtained by prescription – and many of those have unpleasant side effects.

A migraine specialist can recommend medications as well as other treatments including acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic, acupressure, herbal remedies and lifestyle changes. Adequate sleep, relaxation exercises, and dietary changes may also help.

Chiropractic for Migraines

A chiropractor will use a variety of techniques when treating migraines. Spinal manipulation of one of the most common, usually focusing on the cervical spine. By bringing the body into balance, it can relieve the pain and prevent future migraines. They may also recommend vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements as well as lifestyle changes which usually involved eliminating triggers.

One migraine study found that 72% of sufferers benefited from chiropractic treatment with either noticeable or substantial improvement. This is proof that chiropractic is an effective treatment for relieving pain and preventing migraines.

Migraines are no fun! Call (780)455-2112 to schedule your appointment today.

Why Chiropractic Is A Better Choice Over Drugs & Surgery

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Say you have neck or back pain. How will you treat it? Many people will go to a medical doctor who will look at the symptoms, such as pain, and treat it with prescription or over the counter medications. In some cases, they may recommend surgery to manage the pain or correct the problem.

However, an increasing number of people are foregoing the medical doctor and opting for chiropractic care for pain management – and often with very good results. So, what is it about chiropractic that people feel makes it a better choice than drugs or surgery for their pain or mobility issues? There is more to the answer than you may realize.

Drug Therapy

When it comes to certain types of pain, particularly neck pain, medication is not the best way to manage it. Studies show that patients who opted to undergo chiropractic treatments and exercise regularly were more than twice as likely to significantly reduce their pain or even eliminate it completely than those who choose to take medication.

Aside from efficacy though, many medications have unpleasant and even dangerous side effects. Even over the counter medications can cause problems.

For instance, acetaminophen has been linked to serious health issues like pancreatitis and impaired liver function. NSAIDs like ibuprofen can upset the stomach and can cause rebound headaches in migraine patients (studies show that chiropractic is extremely effective in preventing migraines).

Prescription drugs can be highly addictive and lead to overdose. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has declared opioid addiction and overdose in the United States to be an epidemic. They have set forth guidelines for doctors who prescribe opioids for chronic pain, but the epidemic continues.

Surgery

Any treatment that can help a patient avoid an invasive surgery is an optimal alternative and chiropractic care provides that. One study shows that patients who saw a medical doctor as their first treatment option when dealing with back pain were more likely to have surgery than patients who say a chiropractor first.

Almost 43% of the medical patients eventually underwent surgery while only 1.5% of chiropractic patients had surgery. This means that if you are a medical patient trying to resolve your back pain you are 28 times more likely to eventually have surgery for it than you would if you went to a chiropractor.

Aside from the obvious invasiveness of the procedure as well as recovery time and probable physical therapy that would be required as part of your after care, there are many other downsides. The time and money required for the surgery, pre-surgery appointments, post-surgery appoints, recovery, and therapy can be significant.

However, a major concern in hospital settings is the risk of C-diff (clostridium difficile). C-diff are bacteria that can cause C. diff colitis, an inflammation of the colon or large intestine that can make you very sick. It can be passed from person to person but can also occur in people who take antibiotics – which are often given when a person undergoes surgery.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care gets to the cause of the problem instead of treating the symptoms like most medical doctors. The whole-body approach also empowers patients to make lifestyle adjustments that aid in their care and healing. It allows them to take ownership of their own health and pain management so that they feel more in control.

Chiropractors take a natural, holistic approach to pain management by bringing the body back into alignment if necessary and recommending exercises. They may also recommend other activities to help patients regain their normal range of motion and flexibility . This can relieve not only the pain symptoms, but often correcting the problem that is causing the pain.

Call (780)455-2112 to schedule your chiropractic assessment with one of our wellness chiropractic doctors! Visit www.ocwc.ca to learn more about our clinic and practitioners.