A June 2010 article by Associated Press Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard shines a bright light on the problem of back pain in America. In the article, entitled “Back Pain May Be Widely Over-Treated in the U.S.”, she raises some great questions about how we’re spending our healthcare dollars, what we’re getting for it and why.

“By one recent estimate, Americans are spending a staggering $86 billion a year in care for aching backs—from MRIs to pain pills to nerve blocks to acupuncture. That research found little evidence that the population got better as the bill soared over the past decade.”

Ms. Neergaard’s writing hits close to home, and the situation she describes is probably familiar to anyone who’s tried to find relief from serious back pain in the past few years. But what does it all mean to you if you or someone you care about is a patient looking for relief?

Here’s a quick summary of the more important takeaways from Ms. Neergard’s article as well as some practical points to keep in mind as you consider your options and work with your healthcare provider on a treatment plan:

1. While back pain in general is a widespread problem in the U.S., the specifics always come down to the individual. There is no silver bullet—the treatment that was effective for your neighbor may not be right for you. Your healthcare provider can evaluate your symptoms and advise you on the appropriateness of alternative therapies.

2. Time is usually on your side when it comes to back pain. Up to 90% of patients will heal on their own within a matter of weeks. Unless your healthcare provider sees “red flag” symptoms, patients should generally exhaust their noninvasive options first before considering surgery.

3. “Exercise is medicine, but it has to be the right exercise.” Formal exercise programs that are designed and supervised by experts can be effective provided that the patient is able to manage and function with pain.

4. Your own motivation and attitude can make a big difference in the effectiveness of your treatment. Patients who can work through pain, stay focused on the plan and get back to normal activity as quickly as possible will generally have the advantage when it comes to recovery.

5. Make sure you have access to a neutral third party (perhaps your chiropractor or family doctor) who can help you weigh the advice of various specialists and navigate through your choices. And always get a second opinion if surgery is being considered.

Back pain is a complex phenomenon and it’s often very difficult to treat successfully. At a time when health science regularly produces new miracles and we’ve come to expect instant results, it can be difficult for us to keep this basic truth in perspective. What comes through loud and clear in Ms. Neergaard’s article is that our most advanced diagnostic technologies and sophisticated surgical procedures are not solving the back pain problem for millions of Americans. And that it’s costing us a great deal of money to fail using our most expensive techniques.

This raises two big-picture questions, not just for U.S. health care policy makers and administrators, but for anyone who’s trying to make smart decisions about back pain treatment:

1. Given the pervasiveness of back pain in America, the number of people who are likely suffering without treatment and the kinds of issues Ms. Neergaard writes about, can it really be said that we’re “over-treating” back pain? Wouldn’t it be closer to the truth to say that we’re mistreating it by using too many of the wrong tools in too many of the wrong cases? If so, what does her reporting really suggest about the direction we should be headed?

2. There are many factors contributing to our national back pain epidemic, and many of them have to do with our lifestyle choices and the way we manage our health more broadly. What should we be willing to spend for an ounce of prevention when it comes to back pain?

How Your Fremont Chiropractic Physician Can Help

If you or someone you care about is suffering with back pain, call our Fremont Chiropractor. Chiropractic Physicians from Discover Chiropractic are specially licensed and trained to diagnose and treat conditions related to the musculoskeletal system and the nerves that support it. Our chiropractors can help relieve back pain by using spinal adjustments. This spinal manipulation is the primary form of treatment performed by chiropractic physicians and is a widely recognized back pain therapy. Research has shown that manipulative therapy and spinal manipulation are not only safe and effective, but can also produce results more quickly and less expensively than other alternatives.

Many chiropractors are also skilled in designing and supervising exercise and nutrition programs. They’re committed to helping patients achieve a healthier lifestyle that prevents illness and promotes performance.

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References

Back Pain May be Widely Over-Treated in the U.S.. MSNBC Pain Center. Lauran Neergaard. June 8, 2010. Accessed August 2011.

As the name implies this is a tour inside the human body. Peel back the layers, zoom, rotate and explore your innards in a brand new way. This project is still in the ‘lab stage’ over at Google, but is already an incredible tool. If you are a visual learner, you might find a new love for anatomy.

Google Body Browser allows you to isolate certain organ systems, individual organs and bones to get a better look at them. Once you have the view you want you can zoom and rotate it in three dimensions. All the supporting structures remain visible to keep the context.

Still images don’t do the tool justice. You really need to use the online interactive version. Since this tool is from Google, it seems to work best in Google’s own Chrome browser.

A couple cool features to point out… You can turn on and off labels to all the different body parts as you explore. If you ever need to study for Jeopardy and learn the name of the muscle that controls your little finger—it’s in there!

Of course since it’s a Google product, you can search too. If you can’t quite remember where the sciatic nerve is you can type it into the search box and it will be highlighted for you. If there are muscles, bones or joints we discuss at an appointment and you want to share the explanation with your spouse or friends later, just search for it by name.

You can also send a link to a specific view that you have created. If you need to share an idea or diagram with another person or save it for future reference, you can create a link that will go right back to that view. Here is an example that should take you directly to a view of the C1 vertebra – also known as the atlas.

Interacting with this tool makes me wish something like this had been available for anatomy classes. If you have kids or friends in any type of human biology class, forward them this link so they’ll know about this great learning tool.

Have fun exploring Google Body Browser on your own.

In this video, Dr. Terry Schroeder, head coach for the US Men’s Olympic Water Polo team and some of his athletes discuss the vital role that chiropractic plays in sport and life. Now the head coach of the team, Dr. Schroeder competed for the US in 4 Olympics himself. He also happens to be a chiropractor.

Elite athletes know that any small difference in preparation, fitness, function or flexibility can make the difference between a Gold and a Silver medal – or no medal at all. In the video, Dr. Schroeder shares how every member of the men’s team now includes chiropractic adjustments in their regime. Although some were reluctant at first, after seeing the results teammates were getting, they all eventually came around. After all elite athletes are always looking for ‘an edge’.

In the sport of water polo, necks and shoulders take a constant beating from defenders. The shoulders in particular are prone to overuse injuries and hyper-extension. Shoulder injuries will sideline a player completely making it nearly impossible to train in the pool. As athletes of all level know, missing practice while recovering from an injury is vital time lost. Prevention and proactive care is the better route.

In the video you’ll hear Dr. Terry Schroeder’s personal story of how he was first introduced to chiropractic and also see him adjusting players on a portable adjusting table right on the pool deck.

We hope that be sharing examples of Olympic athletes using chiropractic care we can help spread the word among collegiate, high school and recreational athletes. Whatever your sport, we can help you achieve peak performance and prevent injuries.

A good masseuse can keep your back pain from becoming a more serious problem! Much of the pain and pressure on our backs comes from day to day living and all the stress that comes with it. A really good massage will help your back recover in the short term and be a healthy investment in the longer term goal of keeping back pain under control!

Have a massage. Many back pain sufferers experience a great deal of relief from touch therapy. A massage can loosen tight muscles in the back creating a general feeling of relaxation which in turn provides relief from pain. Having a massage at least once a week can help tremendously in keeping back pain under control.

If you suffer from chronic back pain, getting a simple massage can help to eliminate the pain and muscle cramping. Whether you’re visiting a massage therapist or just relaxing in one of those massaging chairs, receiving a massage can help to loosen the muscles and subsequently relieve the pain of a back ache.

Go for a massage at your local beauty parlor. A back massage can do wonders for back pain and also has the added benefits of being very relaxing and relieving stress. If you don’t like the idea of having a stranger touch you, consider buying a electrical massage chair instead.

Get a back massage at a parlor or at home from a loved one on a regular basis to prevent and treat back pain. Regular back massages can increase blood flow to promote healing and keep your muscles healthy. It also keeps your stress level low, which can also help to prevent back pain.

Enjoy a massage whenever you can. Regular massages are an excellent way to relieve back pain. Massages help to loosen tight joints and ligaments. This tightness might be causing the pain you are feeling. In addition, massage helps to stimulate your brain’s pleasure center. This releases powerful endorphins, or natural pain relievers, into your blood stream.

Massage therapy has been proven a very effective method for alleviating lower back pain as well as helping with other problems. It can help improve sleep and lessen anxiety and depression which may also be causing the back problems. Overall massage therapy has many positive benefits and is great to use in combination with heat or ice therapy.

Whether your discomfort is confined to a single area of your back or affects the upper, middle, and lower areas, following the advice in this article will offer you some degree of relief. Remain positive and remember that there are a variety of options available to diagnose, treat, and possibly even prevent back pain.

The trouble with these carbonated drinks and too much caffeinated drinks is that there are toxins in those products. The sugar can also increase the chance of an individual getting high blood pressure especially if you consume way too much of it. We all need lots of water to help keep the body cleansed and hydrated. Think about the simple fact that our brain is about 80% filled with water. Moreover, water is the reason why our digestive system work and keeps our respiratory system in order too. The other thing is that the disc between our spines is also fluent in mostly made of water. It is therefore important to have water and keep those spinal discs in great shape.

Now of course, Fremont chiropractors also insist that drinking water should be free of other sugar induced compounds. There are various companies out there that are adding high glucose levels of materials which are just as bad as adding in numerous tablespoons of sugar. Of course, some water supply is not very tasty and as such the explanation why individuals have gotten accustomed to taking in vitamin enhanced water. However a lot of them also have added in glucose which isn’t essentially a good thing to have.

There are lots of reasons why a lot of people don’t want to drink water. They include things of course that may sustain your clothes with deposits that is hard to see until it has poured on you. There’s even some type of water that has iron . They are tough to detect until it actually oxidizes in the air and results in “rest” stains.

Whatever you do, just be sure you drink sufficient water for you to keep your body going strong. It also helps to make sure that you do not exhaust yourself through dehydration. Eight glasses of water is not difficult amount to drink. This is also true if you are consuming it through the day rather than trying to cram it in all one time. Keep in mind, that if you are an athlete or playing athletics you want to consume much more water because your body loses it in the endeavours that you extend in your sport.

Healthy Snack Ideas for Children

Sweet potatoes are a terrific addition to the diet. Their sweet, somewhat bland, starchy nature makes them readily accessible to just about anyone, and the variety of bright colors they come in naturally makes them appealing to children. They’re full of Vitamin A, C, and B6 in addition to a host of minerals. They make a good substitute for pasta or rice as a starch.

Hiding food in other foods is a great way to ensure proper nutrition in picky eaters. This can be adults or children. Often times you can place healthy vegetables or fruits into otherwise not so healthy food types without the eater knowing. There are plenty of recipes for hiding foods in other foods to keep the nutrition high.

Good nutrition starts at home. If you teach young children how to eat properly and introduce them to healthy foods early, they will be more likely to grow up enjoying a higher variety of healthy foods. Proper nutrition also leads to better food choices in the long run and less risk of obesity.

Introduce vegetables to your children at a young age. The taste may not be what they’re used to, so you might have to try experimenting with different ways to cook and season vegetables to make them desirable for them. Vegetables have a lot of minerals and vitamins unavailable anywhere else, so getting your children used to them is a good idea for their lifelong health.

If you want your children to eat better foods, get them involved in the cooking process and they will be more likely to eat what they make themselves. Children love to be creative and the kitchen is an excellent place to do so. When they experience how good food is made it builds excitement to eat it.

When exercise is not enough, we strive for something more. Nutrition can be the key to a vigorous lifestyle. Each step you take towards nutrition, you are closer to achieving perfect harmony in your body. The above tips from the article provide great guidelines for your future well being and health.

There are lots of countries around the world who promote nap in daytime in order to carry on for extended periods of time. Here in the USA we are not as accelerating as many other countries in terms of that. In truth, it has become such a trouble with 568 hour energy drinks that individuals are becoming a community of working zombies. In most cases, it is more sensible to drink up a tea like lavender to relieve your nerves and minimize the effect of caffeine on an overstimulated body.

Through nutrition there are plenty of ways for us to have a more balanced life and be productive. Now, caffeine isn’t specifically a bad thing, if you know the way to manage and use it appropriately. Caffeine can help improve your mood and also help you with your memory and other things in connection with the use of the human brain. It has also been suggested that caffeine might even assist in lowering the risk of liver cancer. The drawback however of caffeinated drinks is that it could cause much more stress for those who are susceptible to anxiety. Yet another negative side effect of caffeine is that it also can cause arrhythmia and often really serious panic attacks. So consider drinking it in moderation.

There are other methods to boost your body’s dietary absorption. That comprises having some types of food each day that boost your vitality. It’s been noted that ginseng is one of those foods that can increase your energy without increasing anxiety. Additionally, food items such as pomegranate extract or certain juices can be more energizing to your body. Just don’t get too accustomed to consuming an excessive amount of sugar in your body at any one time.

Finally nutrition can also be supplemented by activity. By moving your body usually, for example, getting up and stretching if you’re sitting too long at a desk. This can help to increase the oxygen flow through your body to spark your brain. Remember that there are a number of ways to increase your energy level. And, they are often simple to carry out and some of them are downright free.

This article will give you a few points on the way to reduce back problems while you sleep. Just by creating a number of basic modifications in your sleep posture may help you sleep a lot better. The best posture for you to sleep is sleeping on your side. In case you are doing this make sure you place your legs a bit toward your upper body and if possible place a pillow in between your legs. There are many individuals who also use a full-length body pillow to assure stability in the way they sleep. It is not advisable to place too much weight on your arms mainly because it can create problems in circulation.

If you prefer to sleep in your back it’s advisable to place a pillow under your knees as a way to retain the curve in your lower back. Sleep ergonomics specialists say that sleeping on your tummy is probably the most detrimental position because it is bad for your lower back and spine. It may result to nerve compression as well as muscle pain. You could also place a pillow under your pelvis and your lower belly should you decide to sleep on your belly. This helps lower the strain on your back.

There are many studies which claim that the kind of pillows and mattresses that you use make a big difference in how you sleep. The appropriate type of mattress will let you retain your body aligned and comfy as well as keep the normal curves in your spine in the right position. There are lots of specialists who tell you that you should utilize some form of a memory foam bed mattress. The best bedding which are on the market are those that adapt to your spine. It is best to try a few bed mattresses to guarantee that you’re comfortable when lying in the posture that you will sleep in.

One other thing to bear in mind is that if you happen to be pregnant you might want to ensure the sleep ergonomics of the mattress suits the new curvatures of your body. Surely, being pregnant means that it is a lot more unpleasant to sleep in certain positions. As pointed out, a full-length body pillow might be a thing that eases the pressure on your back from having to carry the baby for a long period of time.

There are many different approaches to assure getting a good night sleep and probably the one that many individuals neglect to think about is the position in which to sleep.

Imagine that the nervous system is connected to every aspect of the body. This includes your lymph nodes, your organs, spinal column, and many others. There is a lot of proof that the immune system is regulated by the result of what is transpiring to your central nervous system. This data keeps growing each day not just by the work of doctors of chiropractic but also medical doctors who are referring individuals to chiropractors just for this cause.

The misalignment of the spine that is resulting in compression of spinal discs and irritation of the nerves is called subluxation. It is an illustration of how your nerve stress impacts your overall condition from tingling of your feet to the pain you could receive on your back if you are experiencing chronic back pain. The chiropractors who have studied wellness, take a look at spine for these type of subluxations. Once they’ve discovered that there is a misalignment where pinched nerves could occur, they then establish a certain course of action that is suitable for your ailment.

Dr. Ronald Pero, who studied cancer prevention in 1975, found that you can prevent cancer by controlling the right amount of enzymes in your body. If you do not have these types of enzymes or the correct amount, he suggests that you do, or you will be limiting your potential lifespan. But in addition to that it could also determine your resistance to extremely serious illnesses.

As a result of his discoveries it was determined that individuals who had long-term chiropractic care had a significantly greater immune system than those who had not had chiropractic. The reason this was considered to be the case is that the central nervous system is impacted by any misalignment in your spine clearly as discussed above, it can affect lymph nodes and other body organs in your body. So, chiropractic can improve your defenses by keeping your neurons flowing in your nervous system in good health.

Among the issues that chiropractors work on relates to severe headaches. A headache could be a pain sensation that is experienced at the forehead or even at the back of the neck. Any sort of headache is worth investing by seeking the service of a chiropractor. The key reason is simply because severe headaches could possibly be the result of a misaligned cervical area. This condition can lead to a pinched nerve that’s cutting off the supply of blood to your head. Due to that, this tends to lead to extreme headaches.

What other conditions can chiropractic service treat? There are times when a nagging back pain won’t disappear completely or perhaps some form of soreness goes down one’s leg. Pain Sensation that extends down your leg often refers to sciatic nerve pain. This painful sensation is caused by the sciatic nerve which is pinched off by a misaligned area of your vertebrae. A chiropractor can check out these parts of the body and then determine where the imbalance resonates from. By locating these misaligned discs and bones, a chiropractor can figure out the best plan of action for your needs.

A misaligned spine can cause various kinds of complications. There are people who described pain sensation that they experience on a part which is far away from the cause of the problem. This sort of extending pain is known as referred pain. Referred pain can be hard to identify so the chiropractor may possibly request the person have an x-ray or an MRI to better locate the cause of the problem.

The chiropractor will ask many types of questions and check your mobility as well as your flexibility. With this, the job a chiropractor does is very comprehensive and provides for an improved diagnosis of the problem. The best chiropractic care may be accomplished when the patient and also the chiropractor work jointly with one another. In that respect the individual must follow the chiropractor’s advice so as to optimize the recuperation.