Posts Tagged ‘chiropractor’
Chiropractor in Tampa Says That When It Comes to Health Care Reform, Perhaps It's Time to Listen to the Elders
September 3rd, 2009 | 
Author: As a chiropractor in Tampa, health care issues always get me to sit up and take notice. So, “fairness” in media coverage, in my opinion, is essential. I have to say that if we were to believe the news media these days, it would appear that senior citizens are being “scared away” from supporting health care reform. The inference, of course, is that it doesn’t take much to convince older people to believe what you’re saying to them, whether you’re a con artist trying to steal their savings, a telemarketer trying to sell them a useless gadget, or an insurance company trying to extract from them ever-rising costs for health insurance. But, I don’t think that older Americans simply believe what is being “fed” to them, and as a chiropractor who treats patients of all ages in my clinic, I can personally vouch for the mental clarity and social/political savvy of the seniors I see on a daily basis.
So, I was particularly happy to read that an AARP survey of 500 members in Iowa aged 50 and older indicating a strong backing for Congress to take action to curb health-care costs and strengthen Medicare.
“This survey is a firm rebuttal of the notion that older Americans don’t want health-care reform this year, and in fact, it shows our members believe just the opposite,” said Bruce Koeppl, Iowa state director for AARP. “After the past few weeks of well-documented concerns, myths, town hall protests, and far too often uncivil debate, this survey shows majorities of Iowa AARP members still believe change is necessary and the status quo is not sustainable.”
I’m sure that, despite media proclamations to the contrary, the seniors of Iowa are not the only older Americans who feel this way. Such “civil” surveys should be taken by AARP in other states. And, wouldn’t it be a lovely change if the gentel, worldly-wise voices of those who’ve lived in America long enough to witness its many social chances could finally be heard in this debate?
Posted in patient rights | 
Tags: AARP, chiropractor, health care reform, older Americans, seniors | 
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Owning Your Patient Power by Learning the Health Care Debate Lingo
As a chiropractor I know that there are many people looking for good, afforable health care, and healthy alternatives to what is now available to them in such limited quantity and quality. I treat many people who have no health insurance or are struggling to pay for medical insurance that not only doesn’t cover chiropractic care, but doesn’t cover other medical needs. And, I don’t have to tell you that these days, there’s a whole lot of shouting about health care going on. I don’t think that it’s too optimistic for us to hope that beneath and beyond the cacophony of conflicting opinions and misinformation, patients will find themselves more powerful than ever in determining what kinds of preventative health alternatives are available to them, the type of universal care that they will be able to get should they require it, and the variety, affordability, fairness, and efficacy of that care.
As an aid to “owning” your patient power, I am passing along a seemingly “neutral” article that I just read that I think you will find as helpful as I did, especially if you are confused by all the back and forth on health care reform. It is a guideline to terms that are commonly tossed about in the health care debate. If you have been wondering what any or all of the following terms mean, I invite you to check out the site at the bottom of this post: Blue Dog coalition, Co-op, Electronic records, End-of-life counseling, Gang of Six, health insurance exchange, Health care rescission, House Energy and Commerce Committee, Mandated coverage, Medicare/Medicaid, “Obamacare,” Private insurance, Public options, Senate HELP committee, Single-payer.
Naturally, knowing what these terms mean doesn’t actually solve the problem. But, it may help us with the dialogue, should the sound decibels decrease to a point where the human voice is actually intelligible.
Chiropractic is Good for Your Health; BPA-Based Polycarbonate Products are bad. The Good News Is, As a Patient and Consumer, You Always Have a Choice
I’m a Chicago chiropractor, and I believe in a holistic approach to health. Naturally, I believe in chiropractic care. I also believe that “you are what you eat,” and that exercise and a good night’s sleep are essential for good health. Most of the time, good health depends on what you put into your body to give it what it needs to function optimally. But, an essential component to being healthy also lies in what you “don’t do,” i.e., what you don’t put into your body, like avoiding fruits and vegetables that are sprayed with pesticides, and not drinking your spring water out of plastic bottles that contain BPA.
Just as patients are powerful when it comes to reforming health care, consumers are powerful when it comes to reforming product safety standards. Along those lines, I just read a really good article on Enviroblog: “BPA: Can consumer revolt trump K Street?” The blog post is all about Massachusetts’ strictly voluntary approach to reducing human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA). On Monday, August 3rd, the state Department of Public Health issued a warning to parents and caretakers to avoid BPA-based polycarbonate baby bottles and infant formula packaged in cans lined with epoxy resin, another material whose key component is BPA.
Apparently, the Massachusetts advisory lacks the force of laws enacted earlier this year by Minnesota and Connecticut legislators, who have banned BPA in baby bottles and other containers used by young children. But, health warnings can spur consumer resistance that can change the marketplace faster than laws and regulations.
There’s a lot more interesting (and inspiring) information contained in the blog. You can read it at www.enviroblog.org. But, the point to remember is that change, really, is up to you. As a patient and a consumer, you are powerful and you can make a difference.
Scoliosis and Chiropractic care
When the body is looked at from behind, a normal spine is straight without much deviation from one side to the other.Scoliosis is a disorder that is generally associated with a lateral, or side-to-side, curvature of the spine.The disorder shouldn’t be confused with poor posture, even though it often gives the appearance that the individual is leaning to one side. Scoliosis is a troublesome deformity that is defined by both lateral curvature and rotation of the vertebra often causing a symptomatic “rib hump” in the mid or thoracic spine. This is created by the vertebrae in the area of the major curve rotating toward the concavity and pushing their fastened ribs posterior hence producing the characteristic rib hump seen in thoracic scoliosis. The pulmonary and cardiac functions can be obstructed if the thoracic curve and rib rotation exceeds 70 degrees. Often later in life in untreated severe idiopathic infantile and juvenile scoliosis patients, this amount of curve and resulting cardiac and pulmonary changes can be life threatening.
Anatomy
The spine reveals four normal curves: the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral, all of which are observable from a side view of the trunk. The thoracic, in the chest vicinity, has a normal round curve, “reversed C,” called a kyphosis, while in the lower spine there is a healthy “C” curve, known as swayback or lordosis. Increased kyphosis in the thoracic area is called hyperkyphosis, while increased swayback is termed, hyperlordosis. Scoliosis changes regularly accompany diversions from normal on a side view. A few round back deformities are simply due to poor posture and can often be resolved with postural exercises. A small percentage of people with kyphosis have more rigid deformities than the postural type, which are coincidental with vertebral deformity. This kind of deformity, called Scheuermann’s kyphosis, is much harder to treat than postural kyphosis, and it’s cause is unknown.
Even a layman can help to identify a child or fully-grown individual with scoliosis just by viewing the person in a standing position, preferably with no shirt and in shorts, and observing the following:
- One shoulder may be raised than the other.
- One scapula (shoulder blade) may be raised or more prominent than the other.
- With the arms hanging loosely at the sides, there may be more area between the arm and the body on one side.
- One hip may look to be raised or more conspicuous than the other.
- The head is not centered over the pelvis.
- When the person is analyzed from the rear and asked to lean forward until the spine is horizontal, one side of the back seems higher than the other.
The child or adult should be sent to a healthcare professional, such as a chiropractor, for further evaluation once scoliosis is suspected. your chiropractor would be happy to help.
The most prevalent type of scoliosis is, by far, Idiopathic, and though there are various origins and many types, Idiopathic Scoliosis accounts for about 85% of all cases. “Idiopathic” means “no known cause” and is observed with equal prevalence in boys and girls in the mild or low curve magnitudes. Depending on the age of onset, this condition can be sub-classified into infantile, juvenile and adolescent cases. Idiopathic Scoliosis may be linked to genetic or hereditary influences as it commonly runs in families. Though it is unknown why, girls are five to eight times more likely than boys to have their curves increase in size and require treatment. The most general time for the development of Idiopathic Scoliosis is during adolescence when children are finishing the last major growth spurt. Unfortunately, at this age young people are reluctant to allow their body to be looked at by parents and other adults, so it is very important to have this age group examined on a regular basis.
If a scoliotic curve is observed in the growing adolescent, it is very important that the curves be monitored for advancement by periodic examination and from time to time standing X-rays. In ninety percent of instances, the scoliosis is mild and does not require active treatment, however increases in spinal deformity necessitate evaluation to ascertain if a brace or other management is required. In a small number of patients, surgical treatment may be required.~Surgery may be necessary for a small number of patients.
Brace treatment (orthosis) is recommended for newly-identified symptoms of moderate scoliosis or abnormal kyphosis, as well as when an increase in scoliosis or kyphosis is discovered in both juvenile and adolescent children. There are a number of types of braces, all created to prevent curves from increasing by acting as a buttress for the spine during active skeletal growth. Bracing is effectual in preventing curve progression in a very large portion of skeletally-immature adolescents. Nevertheless, braces generally won’t make the spine completely straight, and cannot always keep a curve from getting bigger.
Scoliosis has no simple resolution. The majority of cases, even though often monitored, are not actively treated. The standard medical treatment for moderate cases is a brace, whereas severe cases in some cases are treated surgically. You may want to see your local chiropractor first.
Along with bracing, many other therapies have been used successfully like specialized exercise, electric stimulation of spinal muscles, nutritional programs, and chiropractic treatments. It seems like the most effective results have been sustained with a multi-faceted approach to the management of this condition.
There are chiropractors, that have expertise treating scoliosis conditions.