Healthy Living Chiropractic Newsletter
Cambridge Chiropractic 3939 Cambridge Road, Suite 100
(530)672–6451 www.cambridgechiropractic.com
Welcome to our office's Chiropractic newsletter. We'd like to entertain you, inform you (and even inspire you a little).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Thoughts about Vioxx
- Chiropractic = less back pain drugs, X-rays, less back surgery, lower costs
- Chiropractic and spinal research
- Happy New Year
- Humor
- References
Thoughts about Vioxx
Too many people rely on the "external" pharmacies rather than cultivate their internal pharmacy. Your internal drug store makes the perfect drugs for you and doesn’t have side effects or cause damage, unlike the artificial drugs so many people take. There is no such thing as a safe drug; every pharmaceutical can cause damage. Critics have come forth claiming that many of the drugs presently being taken by millions of people are dangerous.
The recent Vioxx scandal revealed more than the dangers of prescription drugs. It revealed that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) failed to protect the public when it approved Merck’s Vioxx despite evidence suggesting that the drug caused heart attacks and strokes.[ 1 ] David Graham, MD, MPH scientist and "whistleblower" revealed to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee that the number of deaths from heart attacks and stroke from Vioxx is now estimated to be between 88,000–138,000.
Vioxx may be the tip of the iceberg, "Graham says he has heard concerns similar to his from counterparts who monitor medical devices and...vaccines, but they're reluctant to come forward."[ 2 ]
Chiropractic = less back pain drugs, X-rays, less back surgery, lower costs
Apart from childbirth, back pain is the 2nd leading cause of physician visits, the most prevalent chronic medical condition and the #1 cause of long-term disability.
A study in The Archives of Internal Medicine compared 700,000 people with chiropractic coverage in their insurance plan and 1,000,000 without chiropractic coverage. The chiropractic group needed less X-rays, MRIs, surgery and hospitalization. The chiropractic group spent 28% less for back pain, 23% reduction in the use of X-rays, 37% less MRIs, 41% less hospitalizations for back pain, and 32% less back surgeries. The overall per-member, per-year healthcare cost was 12% less for patients with chiropractic coverage resulting in a $16 million savings.[ 3 ]
Chiropractic and Spinal Research
Dizziness. Fifteen individuals who suffered from cervical vertigo began chiropractic care. After five sessions over a 41 day period 60% of patients reported complete remission of vertigo. 20% of patients reported consistent improvement with rare, mild recurrence of symptoms. Only two patients were still using medication compared to nine originally. [ 4 ]
Torticollis. A two-month-old female presented with obstetrical brachial plexus injury (Erb’s Palsy) that had been under the care of several medical pediatricians without resolution. The condition showed complete resolution under chiropractic care without any complications or residual impairments. [ 5 ]
Have a great New Year.
Make sincere resolutions from your heart. Heal yourself so you can heal others; heal others so you can heal yourself. Love yourself so you can love others; love others so you can love yourself. We are all connected and any good we do will circle the globe many times over.
Let’s use this New Year to do more than celebrate the passing of our earth around the sun. Let’s make it an opportunity for reflection of what we’ve accomplished and what is yet to be done. May we rededicate ourselves to personal growth; may we grow in understanding and personal honesty. In our search for wholeness and healing we will awaken painful memories - may we have the courage to look at them without turning away. Pain may be a pathway to growth; it often leads us to the deeper parts of our being so greater love, healing, wisdom and happiness may emerge.
Thank you for letting us be a part of your personal healing journey. It’s been an honor to take care of you and be your chiropractor. We look forwards to a New Year of greater healing, growth and peace. See you next year.
Love,
Dr. Petrice
Your family chiropractor
PS. We can’t forget the humor section can we?
Humor
My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad
Three boys are in the schoolyard bragging about their fathers.
The first boy says, "My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, they give him $50."
The second boy says, "That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song and they give him $100."
The third boy says, "I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon...and it takes eight people to collect all the money!"
64 patients with chronic lower-back pain and disc degeneration were given spinal fusion surgery or non-surgical therapy. There was no difference in the outcomes of both groups, except the cost of the non- surgical group was much cheaper, with no complications. "The main outcome measure showed equal improvement in patients with chronic low back pain and disc degeneration," whether or not the patients had surgery or non-surgical care. The findings suggest that back pain treatment costs could be reduced, but also that many patients may no longer need to undergo surgery.[ 2 ] Imagine what the results could have been if they used chiropractic
References
- British Medical Journal. 2004;329:1255 [back]
- USA Today. 11/29/2004 article on David Graham [back]
- Legorreta AP, Metz RD, Nelson CF et al. Comparative analysis of individuals with and without chiropractic coverage: patient characteristics, utilization, and costs. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2004;164:1985-1992 [back]
- Bracher ESB, Almieda CIR, Almieda RR et al. A combined approach for the treatment of cervical vertigo. JMPT. 2000;23(2):96-100 [back]
- Hyman CA. Chiropractic adjustments and congenital torticollis with facial asymmetry: a case study. International Chiropractors Association Review. September/October 1996; 41-45 [back]
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