Israeli invention allows paraplegic's to walk - check it out

I recently came across this device now being tested that allows paraplegic people to walk and mount stairs upright.  Previously, these types of people were bound to a wheelchair for mobility.  I think this is ingenious.  What do you think?

Is Junk Food Is as Addictive as Heroin or Cigarettes?

A recent study suggests junk food is addictive (http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/study-says-junk-food-is-as-addictive-as-heroin-or-cigarettes/19417741/).  If anyone has ever had a potato chip or an oreo cookie, it is hard to just have one. Many of these foods are geared toward our cravings for carbs and also salt and starches. These foods are high in calories and are believed to be part of our countries obesity problem.  Now, some government entities because of this are believing that a sin type of tax should be placed on them.  The article asks if these foods should be regulated like a drug.  Read the article and I welcome your comments.

In my opinion, we need to begin at the family level to reeducate families as to what types of foods are good.  We need to make better quality food cheaper rather than cheaper foods such as starches (pasta).  Instead of paying farmers to grow corn (corn sweetners, ethanol), we should supplement them to grow food and make better foods cheaper.  I believe this would be a better way of handling the poor food consumption problem.  Perhaps, over time, we will see our diets change for the better

I just came across this article that was published in Dynamic Chiropractic.  Check it out.  It is worth the read.

Top Foods That Fight Cancer

By James P. Meschino, DC, MS

In case you haven't seen the book Foods That Fight Cancer: Preventing Cancer Through Diet, I strongly suggest you pick up a copy and recommend it to your colleagues, friends, clients, patients, students, associates and family members.

The book is authored by two leading cancer researchers, Drs. Richard Beliveau and Denis Gringas. Dr. Beliveau holds the Chair in the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer at the University of Quebec in Montreal, and Dr. Gringas is a researcher in the Molecular Medicine Laboratory of UQAM-Sainte-Justine Hospital (Centre de Cancerologie Charles-Bruneau) and the University of Quebec at Montreal.

As stated in their book, "Nature supplies us with an abundance of foods rich in molecules with powerful anti-cancer properties, capable of engaging with the disease (cancer) without causing any harmful side effects. In many respects, these foods possess therapeutic properties on par with those of synthetic drugs". In a very precise but understandable manner, the two researchers outline the many biological targets affected by bioactive nutrients in foods that can help prevent cancer and be used in the adjunctive management of cancer. More specifically, they highlight the research showing how specific food-borne bioactive molecules can do the following

• Decrease free-radical damage to DNA, which is known to produce cancerous mutations;
• Strengthen immune system function, as various immune cells are known to destroy cancer cells (e.g., macrophages and killer-T cells);
• Inhibit angiogenesis of developing tumors;
• Block key signal transduction pathways required for cancer cell replication;
• Stimulate pathways that induce programmed cell death (apoptosis) of existing and emerging cancer cells;
• Enhance detoxification, helping to neutralize and eliminate carcinogens in the body;
• Promote cellular differentiation, which decreases the risk of healthy cells from becoming cancer cells;
• Block the formation of dangerous nitrosamines in the body;
• Block the synthesis of dangerous forms of estrogen and testosterone, which are associated with reproductive organ cancers;
• Slow the rate of cell replication, which is a key factor in reducing the frequency of genetic mutations that may occur;
• Blocking receptor sites on cells to prevent over-stimulation of hormones and growth factors, which, in turn, slows down the rate of cell division;
• Reduce the synthesis of inflammatory prostaglandin (series-2), which is also linked to increased cancer risk.

Foods That Fight Cancer

In addition to reviewing the worldwide evidence on this subject, the Nutrinome Project, conducted in their own lab, has shown that raw extracts from certain fruits and vegetables inhibit the growth of certain cancer cells to varying degrees. Using medulloblastoma cancer cells (a very aggressive brain tumor), they showed that extracts of certain fruits and vegetables could inhibit the growth of these cancer cells in the following order, from most effective to least effective: garlic, beet, kale, red cabbage, onion, turnip, cranberry, carrot, potato, squash, cabbage, and tomato.

Since then, these researchers have gone further to show that blending some of these fruits and vegetables together into a cocktail and feeding it to immune-deficient mice (nude mice), who were injected with human lung cancer cells under their skin, resulted in better health outcomes than occurred in nude mice who were injected with lung cancer cells, but did not receive the fruit and vegetable cocktail. (A more in-depth description of these experiments and pictures of the mice can be found in the book Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life, by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD.) The specific brewed cocktail given to these mice closely matched what would be attainable for humans to mirror and included:

• Cabbage
• Blueberries
• Brussels sprouts
• Broccoli
• Garlic
• Scallions
• Turmeric
• Black pepper
• Cranberries
• Grapefruit
• Green tea

The implication is that individuals who have cancer may wish to use a daily cocktail of this nature in conjunction with their standard medical treatment, as a means to enhance certain biological mechanisms that may help their body fight the disease.

Anti-Cancer Foods for Daily Use

For the rest of us, Drs. Beliveau and Gringas suggest there is a daily preventive threshold level of cancer-fighting foods that each of us should strive to attain. Their suggestions for the prevention of cancer include consumption of the following items each day:

• Brussels sprouts - ½ cup
• Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage - ½ cup
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Onions, shallots - ½ cup
• Spinach, watercress - ½ cup
• Soy (edamame, dry roasted beans) - ½ cup
• Freshly ground flaxseeds - 1 tablespoon
• Tomato paste - 1 tablespoon
• Turmeric - 1 teaspoon
• Black pepper - ½ teaspoon
• Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries - ½ cup
• Dried cranberries - ½ cup
• Grapes - ½ cup
• Dark chocolate (70 percent cacao) - 40 g
• Citrus juice - ½ cup
• Green tea - three 250 ml servings
• Red wine - 1 glass (5 ounces)

What About Supplements?

Drs. Beliveau, Gringas and Servan-Schreiber all suggest there is no evidence to support the use of dietary supplements to prevent cancer, or to be used in the adjunctive nutritional management of cancer. On this point, I disagree wholeheartedly with these experts, in that numerous studies have appeared in peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals in recent years showing important anti-cancer properties provided by various nutritional supplements. This includes studies demonstrating their ability to help prevent cancer, reduce cancer incidence, and be used in conjunction with medical practices as an adjunctive measure to enhance the efficacy of some forms of chemotherapy and/or slow the progression of cancer and/or decrease the recurrence of cancer.

As a practitioner who is affiliated with a leading cancer treatment facility in Toronto, our patients are provided with the best that medicine, diet and supplementation have to offer, based on the total pool of peer-reviewed scientific evidence. I have published numerous review papers on subjects pertaining to the use of nutritional supplements and cancer. I am also a lecturer on this subject in the Cancer Fellowship Program for medical doctors through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine

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Click here for more information about James P. Meschino, DC, MS.

Too Much Medical Care? A doctor speaks out about his own profession and my thoughts

In todays star ledger, in the opinion column, there was an article written by H Gilbert Welch, an internist in the Department of Veterans Affairs titled Are we getting too much medical care (This has been printed by numerous newspapers because it says many of the things I have been talking about for quite some time http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/CT_welch_03-19-10_7EHQ2QT_v14.3f8b13f.html).

In todays health care environment, we have used fear quite effectively in getting people to undergo many tests and screenings of dubious value and placing them on substances all paid for by a system that is slowly going broke by this.  The worst part of it all, is that people are not necessarily leading better lives because of these interventions and periodically have procedures done at great cost that left them worse off with no benefit, all paid for by us.  I question all the people on cholesterol meds who would likely feel better and have fewer problems in their muscles and bodies without them.  I question all the people taking Dexxa scans and being put on bone forming meds which have their own side effects which is done because there is a remote possibility that they will have problems when they are in their 80's from compression fractures maybe.

Of course, in the article it also raises the point of when to use technologies.  At the end of life, we still die yet many of us die in the ICU rather than in the comfort of our homes and at great cost as well.  As your parting gift, we drain your bank account for you and you die miserably.  Is this an intelligent and even humane paradigm (pardon my sarcasm).

Maybe, we need the wellness model after all, where people are taught how to stay healthy vs. obsess about weather we are going to be sick or not.

What do you think?  I welcome your thoughts and comments.

New Car Design Will Make You Healthier

Today, I came across an article about a human powered car that will run at highway speeds and is a great solution with the sedentary lifestyle ( http://autos.aol.com/article/human-car/).  Needless to say, I was quite impressed by the thought process (out of the box which is how I think about problems) and for the casual commuter, who wants a street legal vehicle that will also give them the exercise they crave as well. They call it the HumanCar "FM-4," for "Fully Manual-4 people.  BTW, the vehicle will also function as a hybrid and they claim can get the equivalent of 100 mpg. Check out the article on the link above. You can actually purchase one of these through http://humancar.com/. This guy deserves to get rich from an idea like this.  Of course, this is not for everyone but for all those who get up at 6am to go to the gym before they work out, your ship has come in.  Just drive this to work on nice days.

Genetic Testing Gone Mainstream - the Age of Genomics

A just read an article in the NY times on Genomics or genetic testing.  A few company's  are trying to get this to go main stream (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/20/business/20consumergene.html) with some difficulties due to the public embracing the concept slowly.  The big question is can genetic testing really predict who will develop certain diseases and who will not?  In my line of business, it is not difficult to evaluate who may develop problems and painful conditions due to their body mechanics because genetic traits show up as our structure and ultimately determine how we stand, walk and function.  Predicting this from the DNA sequence is much less reliable, yet, these companies would like us to believe that if we know our genetic breakdown and have it discovered, we can act on problems that may not have occurred yet.  I can use the analogy of a company that was recently busted for trying to convince consumers that if they buy their identity protection service (http://www.lifelock.com/), that they will ensure that nobody can steal their identity and they will be protected.  They were recently shown to do little or nothing and using fear to motivate people to use the service (http://www.theinternetpatrol.com/lifelock-lawsuit-over-settles-deceptive-advertising-claims-with-feds-for-12million/), they were doing little that most people could do themselves to protect their identities which is why you needed the insurance.

With genetics, even if you spent thousands to decode your genome (genetic map), we simply do not know enough about genetics to say that if someone has a certain genetic makeup, they will develop diseases.  A number of years ago, we paid for BRAC1 and BRAC2 testing (http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/BRCA) which are known as cancer genes.  The thought is that if you had these genes, you are most likely to get breast or ovarian cancers will enter the minds of many women who are diagnosed.  Some women are so afraid of the cancer after being diagnosed, they have their breasts removed preventative, even though nothing is wrong simply based on fear.  The question we should all ask ourselves is that if we find out we have a gene and it is suspected to be potentially harmful, will it be and if so, what will trigger the problem? The problem is that we do not understand genes or these processes well enough to use this information constructively and our fears will create many unneeded treatments and procedures that can be worse than the gene itself?

What do you think?  I invite your opinions.  Check us out at www.backfixer1.com

Garlic soup - Chasing away colds, cancer and vampires too

A garlic-rich diet appears to protect against various cancers, including breast, prostate and colon cancer, according to the NY Times (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/unlocking-the-benefits-of-garlic/). It is also an effective antibiotic and recently, since many of our patients have had colds, I thought that this may be a timely post.  The site Garlic-Central.com sites the following:

Always consult your doctor regarding any health or medical matter The medicinal properties and benefits of garlic are strongest when it is raw and crushed or very finely chopped Don't overdo it - too much can irritate the digestive tract Raw, crushed garlic is an anti-fungal, however it can produce skin blistering Raw, crushed garlic is a powerful antibiotic (1) Cooked prepared garlic is less powerful but still reputedly of benefit to the cardiovascular system Garlic cloves cooked whole have very little medicinal value however their milder taste makes them more acceptable to some people There have been claims that garlic can help with cholesterol management however the research is inconclusive If buying garlic pills, check the ingredients Garlic should be seen a part of a healthy diet and lifestyle, not an alternative to one Be aware of the possible problems with garlic An easy way to do this is with garlic soup.  I pulled this recipe off the NY Times (http://events.nytimes.com/recipes/7022/1999/09/01/Garlic-Soup/recipe.html). RECIPE Garlic Soup Adapted from Jean-Georges Vongerichten TOTAL TIME 30 minutes INGREDIENTS 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 4 whole garlic bulbs, separated into cloves, peeled and thinly sliced 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar PREPARATION 1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil and add garlic and thyme. Saute until garlic is soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. 2. Add chicken stock, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half and the garlic is very tender, about 15 minutes. 3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine eggs and vinegar, and beat with a fork until well blended. Whisk into soup, and stir until soup has thickened. Serve hot. YIELD 4 servings

Be aware that if you decide to make this, or eat raw garlic , it may have some other side effects such as you will be offensive to vampires (one less thing to worry about) and your significant other will be much less likely to kiss you and/or be near you.

Core Strength and the way you function

A friend just told me about a great article written about the core and his experience going through the strengthening process.  Read it at the Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704588404575123510044247310.html?mod=googlenews_wsj.

My opinion of core strengthening is that a solid well functioning core is essential to activity, especially athletic activity.  Though the literature information currently available is limited as far as what good core activity can accomplish, many disciplines such as trainers, pilates and even Wii Fit (something I use for this) improve core strength and stability and as a result, I feel and function better.  When I took hitting lessons a few years ago (I never was a good hitter in softball), at first i learned the movements, practiced but the Wii fit pulled it together using the virtual trainer and I had my best hitting season last year (although many guys are much better than I am) with balls that now go into the outfield.  Now if I can get better at running bases, I will have it made.

The problem with core training is that it is not enough.  If you are built asymmetrically, the myofascia in your abdomen and lower back muscles has likely tightened in response to this and torqued your core, which makes you lose leverage.  Loading this up will cause you to recruit in your legs and shoulder muscles causing shoulder and neck tightness as well as tight hamstrings and calves.  This will eventually cause pain.  There are many people who attempt to counteract this with foam rollers however, this is just dealing with the symptom. Even worse, many trainers attempt to modify what you do so you can do it, even though they are reinforcing the torqued core and making your problems more chronic.

This is precisely where our office comes in.  The best ways to address this is by either using myofascial release or graston techniques and by active evaluation.  Once core stability is achieved, you can train it and if you use a personal trainer, they will no longer have to modify your activities and it will enable you to reach your goals.  Running or training through it really is not an option.  Check us out at www.backfixer1.com.  Now as the spring arrives, we can be your secret training weapon and make your training more efficient.

Dr C.

Too many medical tests, too little doctor time and what is the poor patient to think or do?

The Star Leger reported in its article reprinted from the Associated Press from Lindsay Tanner (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100312/ap_on_he_me/us_med_unnecessary_tests) that we are over tested, over doctored and the rationale for what we do is truly broken.  More and more are being written about how the current model, especially the cancer screening models are coming under fire for over promising and under delivering when it comes to life expectancy.  Statistics do not lie although because health reform will likely affect our current ways of doing things, there will be winners, losers and hopefully in the end the patient benefits.  Some of our patients have heard me say that right now, our cancer detection methods are like whack a mole because we have people and do tests that may detect a problem and then do more tests or interventions (hit it) to try and see if they get it or if it moves (either are wrong in our assumption - found a breast lump for instance that is normal but had a biopsy to determine this for example) with the implied idea that if it is cancer and it is not too aggressive, we can poison you with chemo and radiate you until the cancer cries uncle (hopefully).  I hope you get the analogy which I use because until we actually understand what cancer really is (see my prev post for some possible ideas on this), these tests and their interventions may be harmful or helpful and may disfigure you for life. Cancer is just one example but it all starts with the primary care model and how we use it.

Primary care heavy states (fewer specialists) statistically show lower costs, fewer specialist referrals with therefore fewer interventions and overall, the same or better outcomes.  One HMO in Illinois uses a chiropractic primary care model  which has shown to cost the system up to 50% less overall with high satisfaction from the public (yes, primary care can be drug and vaccination free).  The chiropractors understand the musculoskeletal system better which comprises of many of the complaints and I have always said that one of the primary reasons our health care system is a monopoly is that we have the disease based model  feeding the disease based model where in other countries, acupuncturists, natropaths and other styles of primary care do primary care well and cost effectively.  In our current model, most regular family practitioners do not know musculoskeletal very well and so they sent it out.  From a chiropractors perspective, we can very well save the system millions by being the primary specialists in this realm and since many symptom complexes that are diagnosed with a disease differential diagnosis are actually musculoskeletally based, these patients often endure thousands of dollars of unnecessary tests and end up on drugs that may relieve their problems but do not solve them.  Conversely, chiropractors and other non disease based model practitioners are more capable to rule our musculosleketal and enlist disease based model practitioners like our family doctors and internists who can likely manage or co manage these patients.  The co management idea is likely one we will probably see more of in the future.

The incentives are perverse.  Why does a primary care doctor get penalized financially for spending time (a complaint of geritricians who need to spend time with their elderly patients).  If we paid them for their time and allowed them the opportunity to get paid well for it, there would likely be fewer tests.  We also should have some tort reform to limit payouts for pain and suffering but also, if we had fewer specialist referrals and fewer procedures, the patient would benefit and it would overall cost less.  On the other side, if we made fewer referrals to fewer specialists, are all those disease specialists necessary and what will happen to our hospitals if fewer people were admitted because the new model just did not do this as much?  Surely, super high paid specialists and facilities would suffer but as our needs change, so must the systems that feed off of it.  If we had less testing, many of these companies who do these including the many MRI centers would now be forced to consolidate.  As you can see, real reform is not rationing, but better doctoring which includes primary care doctors who are compensated for patient time and care and other types of primary care that work together to help patients and their needs.  The losers unfortunately would be those that benefit from the over testing and the unnecessary testing which is fear mongering at its worst.  The problem is why our health care system is the 6 largest force in our economy.  Does anyone in congress have the political nerve to put a dent in this overpriced and under achieving system?

The insurance companies are not the innocent victims of this because in our office, they ration care by using outside companies that pervert the word medical necessity for chronic patients with chronic problems.  In their world, if someone has used our services alot over the past couple of years as we problem solved their situation and improved their quality of life, they abuse us and the patient by asking for their notes, wanting appeals and concentrating on cost, rather than the patients wellbeing.  Quite honestly, we are not the cost drivers in the system and are just a blip on the screen of a much bigger healthcare ocean.  Since our office handles many difficult chronic pain cases, we are often subjected this this more commonly.  The insurance models are why specialists are paid more and generalists are paid less.  Like the government, when they have poorly managed their pool, the pass the cost on to us giving us less but charging us more each year. Somehow, they still manage to make billions and reward their management.  Shouldn't we just pay the doctor better instead since they spend 30% on saying no.  This is why I believe we need a public option because they do indeed ration our care making sure to turn a profit and as capitolism goes, make money for their investors (http://www.creators.com/liberal/froma-harrop/coming-between-you-and-your-doctor.html).  Why is insurance company rationing ok and government rationing bad? If it is ok for them to say yes or no to cancer treatments or other treatments supported by research, they are not the boogey man but if the government does it and it does cost us less without the profit motive being the real reason, ultimately, we will have a cleaner and better health care system that makes more sense.  I actually believe that if government without a profit motive did our cancer research, we would likely find the common link faster because finding the reason behind the problem is indeed the solution we need and is like minting money, since true prevention does not seek a cure and the game of whack a mole is not the game of prevention which is the key.

My future vision of healthcare should be true prevention based, without the marketing (drug ads on television for every symptom you have), with a healthier public (healthy food promotion without subsidizing farmers to grow certain things and not grow others but raising demand for fresher and better foods and subsidizing this way).  Changing the publics ideas about things like our current model will take years but if we start now, it will assure us of living better, longer and the end of life needs to be embraced as part of the (disney said it best)  great circle of life.  We are born, we live out our lives and then eventually we go.  The quality of life is paramount (not the quantity, the quality) and it is not necessary to be on drugs like lipitor if it helps you live an additional year with tons of problems the drug creates since it is not really preventative).  When we are in school, we will screen not only for scoliosis but for postural problems and body asymmetry which will help children grow into adults with fewer problems in the musculoskeletal system.  Perhaps our video games will be built in the future on an exercise bike so we can sit and play only as long as we pedal assuring better fitness.  At the beginning of life, we will make wiser decisions on when we use technology to prolong a life that has little change, and at the end of life we will accept the inevitable, and rather than throw technology at it, have a more humane end point.  Doctors will be allowed to be doctors and there will be fewer lawsuits because fewer drugs will be needed and fewer procedures will injure fewer patients.  We will leave with the same body parts we came into the world with because most knee and hip replacements can be prevented if in school, we found the problems early and something as simple as an orthotic could have changed our future.

Wow, this is alot to think about, isn't it.  I welcome your comments.  Check out our web site at backfixer1.com and join our twitter feed.  Thanks for reading.

Stop hurting from carpal tunnel syndrome Non surgically - a better option

One of the most expensive and poorly treated conditions of the computer era is carpal tunnel syndrome.  It has frequently been poorly diagnosed and the treatment of this common conditions costs business and industry thousands of dollars in lost work time and disability. It is most common among people who type on computer keyboards or who perform other repetive tasks with their hands,  arms, shoulders and neck. Current treatment methods often fail to bring long term results and sometimes results in worsening disability.  Common treatments used for the condition are wrist splints, massage, injections into the area of pain and discomfort, medications, nutritional supplements, physical therapy, exercises including stretching and finally when all else fails, surgery.  Recently, these arm conditions have more appropriately been reclassified as Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTD's).

Typical Symptoms

The typical CTD sufferer may note the following:

• Arm/Hand/wrist pain.
• Arm/Hand Numbness.
• Raising the arm makes the hand go numb(Nerve root adhesion).
• Numbness in the first finger and thumb(true carpal Tunnel).
• Numbness in entire hand or finger tips(Nerve root adhesion).
• Wrist pain/thumb pain.
• Shoulder Pain.
• Neck Pain
• Stiffness in the hand or forearm.

Appropriate diagnosis

Commonly, to diagnose the condition, patients have been subjected to Nerve Conduction tests and simple orthopedic tests which make the hand go numb.  CTD’s actually are comprised of quite a number of different conditions which must be diagnosed properly to be treated successfully. The truth is, more often than not, the condition does not involve the Carpal Tunnel.
Dr.’s Leahy and Mock1 in their article from Chiropractic Sports Medicine published in 1995 theorized the condition results from  muscular adhesions in the forearm and other structures along the path of the nerve roots, as they pass down from the neck to  their  respective nerves.  In proving their theories, these chiropractic physicians treated thousands of patients in Colorado showing a 96% success rate with the average case lasting six visits.  He also extrapolated the formula which explains why people develop this problem  and how to prevent it.   Dr. Leahy has recently passed on his knowledge to other doctors willing to learn this new technology.  Myofascial Release loosens the area and the doctor mobilizes the joint involved through joint manipulation. Another method that has also gained momentum and is very effective is Graston Technique which uses tools to actually resolve the adhesions.  Both methods have their strengths however, it is ultimately the chiropractors diagnostic skills rather than just the technique that will ultimately help you resolve the problem. Since many upper body conditions such as carpal tunnel, are created in the lower body when the core muscles are functioning poorly, you want a doctor who looks at you, not just the symptoms you showed up with.
To appropriately diagnose this condition, a doctor must examine the entire arm, check for adhesions (tissues stuck to eachother which interfere with normal nerve function) and systematically work them away by hand.  The doctor should also check your feet, pelvis and other contributing factors since problems in the pelvis will pull the shoulders forward and cause the arms to tighten. Over the past few years, a new breed of doctors such as our office now does active evaluation and treatment, which further improves our results because when we treat an area, we can immediately test it for improved function and change what we are doing on the fly which is far more efficient and cost effective. When this is done properly, the problem often resolves quickly and with appropriate periodic exercises, usually does not return.

Appropriate Treatments     Myofascial Release Technique’s, Graston Technique, Exercises

One must define what is appropriate in the treatment of CTD.  A good definition is “Any treatment method which is cost effective, yields reliable results in the majority of the population and is scientifically valid.”  Current treatment methods do not meet this criteria. The typical CTD case costs an average of $15,000 including the surgery.   Many other therapeutic approaches, including wrist manipulation show promise in the treatment of the condition although dysfunctional muscles and soft tissues will not allow for proper wrist joint function since there is often limited flexibility of the areas where the adhesions exist.
Myofascial Release Technique’s  and Graston Technique meets the criteria for “Appropriate Treatment.” These are  cost effective methods which often results in quick resolution of the condition and its symptoms. Many of the more difficult cases, including those that failed with surgery have succeeded.  Many Cts's respond favorably to treatment within six visits or less.  Many other common arm complaints such as tendonitis (tennis elbow, golfers elbow) and shoulder complaints are present when a patient has the CTD syndrome.  Myofascial Release treatment and Graston Technique can resolve these problems as well. There is a cascade of event s(called the kenetic chain)   which includes neck motion, shoulder motion, elbow motion and wrist motion, as well as foot, knee and hip. Any dysfunction along this kenetic chain can result in common overuse syndromes of the arm, shoulder and wrist. A thorough practitioner will often check the relationship of these structures when a CTD is present.
The treatment consists of the doctor checking for adhesions and working them away by hand as he/she finds them on each session and then challenging the results using active evaluation techniques.  The treatment is usually not painful and the area being treated may experience  soreness for a day or two following the treatment. An experienced practitioner can very quickly resolve many of these conditions and will give you appropriate exercise designed to prevent a reoccurrence.
For further information, you can visit our web site at backfixer1.com

1. Improved Treatments for Carpal Tunnel and related Syndrome's.  Chiropractic Sports Medicine
Vol9 #1 1995 Pgs. 6-9, Williams and Wilkins.

The spring cleanup ritual has arrived

Ok, the snow is going around and now what?  Did you see all that muck underneath the melted snow including the itchy balls (hundreds of them), dead leaves and other stuff.  It is now time for the annual spring cleanup for all you home owners.  That means bagging, blowing, lifting, dragging and getting rid of the stuff so you can get your lawn and house looking nice for the summer months to come. 

Have you asked yourself if your body is ready for the task?  In many spring cleanup's many of our patients find out that no, it is not.  They may have strained themselves removing snow and doing other things and they may also be out of condition for a task they do only periodically.

This means it is time for putting chiropractic back on your radar.  Lately, we have seen quite a number of people who tightened up during snow removal who just thought it would go away.  This usually means their back is in spasm but they are tolerating it because it they can still function with it in its current condition.  When the pelvic body mechanics are compromised, your body loses leverage and power.  Stretching does little improve this phenomenon because of shortened myofascial and loading it up with spring cleaning will surely increase the likelihood of an acute exacerbation that could take weeks to treat.

Our recommendation is to get back into the chiropractic habit now, before doing spring cleaning.  I realize we are all busy but you need to take care of yourself first.  One or two visits can pay off big when hitting a ball, raking, bagging and lifting.  Now is the time to do it.  Make this your priority.  Your body and your spouse will thank you.

Prostate cancer tests could be of questionable value - my thoughts

I am a firm believer in prevention and preventative care and have always preached that finding problems early, especially in the musculoskeletal system and someones structure can help them live a better functional and less pain filled life.  Much of the research bears this out.  Lately, some of the holy grail tests to catch and treat cancers have been under attack using statistics as the attack tool.  Today, the Star Ledger reported that regular prostate screenings and PSA tests in younger populations was not only not preventative but also lead to procedures with harmful side effects with minimal benefit to the patient (http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2010/03/prostate_cancer_tests_could_be.html).  A few months ago, routine mammograms and Pap smears were also attacked by the American Cancer Society  for similar reasons.

Many people will be up in arms about this especially women who have been trained and accustomed to the preventative rituals that modern medicine promised them would increase the likelihood they would live longer.

Could it be the medical preventative paradigm is crumbling before our eyes?  It may appear that way but many people will swear that those screenings and preventative surgeries saved their lives.  In many cases, perhaps they did.  In other cases, people endured horrible procedures with horrible end results.

In my opinion, cancer is something that we have yet to understand which is likely why screening procedures are not as helpful as we would like.  Some cancers such as breast can be very fast growing and screenings cannot save the life it claims it can.  I believe that we need to understand what cancer really is before you propose to cut out what you do not really fully comprehend.  For now, removal and treatment of cancerous tissues is the way it is done.  In some circles, it is believed that cancer has a common thread - Candida albicans which is present when cancer is.  One doctor, an oncologist from Italy went against the grain and claimed that Candida gets into the cells, and causes them to look and act differently even though candida can be treated with bicarbonate and he claims he has repeatedly reduced tumors safely using it and was chastised by his profession for his approach.  What a cost effective way to treat cancer (if it works).  Another school of thought is that cancers have increased in our society because of certain foods we no longer have in our diet.  That nutrient is laetrille (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4312930190281243507) which is no longer a staple in our diets and whose reputation had been hurt by organizations that were drug based.  You can find this in apple pits, apricot pits and has evidence that it works. I have personally stopped throwing away apple cores and eating them instead as well as papaya seeds.  What could it hurt, but the question is could it prevent and keep your body cancer free (http://cancertutor.com/Cancer/Laetrile.html)?

The big question I always ask myself is what would the big institutions and high cost cancer centers have to lose if it were found out that this is the common link to cancer. My guess is hundreds of millions of dollars and they have a financial stake in seeing that the problem is complicated and the cost is high. Perhaps, a cure or a low cost dietary preventative change is not in their long term financial interest, eh?

Maybe this is one instance when government would be a good place for research for a cure should be done, rather than in for profit drug based entities whose sole purpose for the research is to turn a profit on their investment.  This is food for thought (literally) but I believe if it really were that simple, health care costs would drop unbelieveably and there would be fallout as large institutions went under since we no longer needed their services.

I also guess that if the problem is indeed dietary and not a disease in the way we think it is, although diseases can be caused by a lack of nutrition (eg: scurvy), could this change be shown to lower cancer rates in a 10 year period markedly?  Maybe our government should begin a campaign to explore such a program, instead of scaring the public with the heavy handed politics of swine flue epidemics that never really materialize but affect certain people with inoculations and their side effects (http://diseases-viruses.suite101.com/article.cfm/side_effects_of_swine_flu_vaccine).

Times are changing and maybe our research of cancer, our understanding of it and our treatment of it needs to change as well to make screening for it safer and truly preventative.  It would also give attorneys less work to do.

  

WNYC does program on chiropractic - check this out

Here is the link to this program that is available on the net.  While this is quite general, it gives people a basis of what the average chiropractor will handle.

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/episodes/2010/02/19/segments/150389

In our office, we also handle the following:

Upper Back Pain	Sciatica Pain	Knee Pain
Lower Back Pain	Shin Pain	Ankle Pain
Wrist Pain	Elbow Pain	Foot Pain
Shoulder Pain	Rotator Cuff Pain	Plantar Fasciitis
Achilles Tendon Pain	Fibromyalgia	Myofascial
Neck Pain	Migraine Headaches	Tension Headaches
Hip Pain	Rib Problems	Trauma
Tennis injuries	Golf Injuries	Baseball Injuries
Basketball Injuries	Running Injuries	Weight-Lifting
Temporal Mandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)	Numbness in Hands and Feet	Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Golfer’s Elbow	Tendonosis, Tendonitis	Tennis Elbow

Knee Pain, change your destiny by understanding it better than your doctor does.

In our office we treat quite a number of knee problems.  Most people with knee pain have not had a true trauma to the knee but had symptoms when they were children that may have been ignored or poorly managed.  Most people do not know that foot problems create knee problems. They do not also understand that the knee is merely a conduit or pulley that allows us to walk.   The kneecap is the pivot point that the muscles use to transmit force from your feet to your core.  If this mechanism is not firing or coordinated properly, the result is knee pain, meniscus tears, clicking or grinding at the kneecap as well as shin pain and even lower back pain.  We inherit our body style and if we have low or flat feet which tend to transmit these forces less efficiently in combination with feet that turn or toe out (overpronated), you have the recipe of knee pain, shin pain, plantar fascitis, kneecap tracking problems and back problems.


In our health care system, most people visit their primary care doctor who will usually have you visit an orthopedic doctor (surgeon).  Their primary interest is knowing who is a surgical candidate and who is not.  There interest is not getting your out of pain.   I often see patients with chronic knee pain visiting physical therapy where heat, muscle stim, some light massage to the knee and then they are asked to lift weights with the knee. Many people do not get improvement this way and often, they exacerbate simply because they have problems tolerating gravity with their current structural integrity and are then being asked to tolerate more weight.

You can make better choices because knowledge is power.  The better physician will look at what is surrounding the knee such as your core muscles (lower back, hip flexors, gluts, abs) and see what they are doing first.  In our office, anyone with knee pain will have their pelvis and their feet checked first.  The reason is (we get almost all our patients with knee pain free of it by getting to the source) that if you are asymmetrically built (remember this is an inherited trait and typically appears around the age of 3 and by the age of 6 it is well set), your body will respond to these forces and the myofascia in your core will tighten in response and literally glue it into improper motion.  This will cause you to recruit other muscles because of a lack of leverage and torque the hips.  Since we stabilize and fire from the core first, one of the places you recruit into is the legs which causes tight legs.  Many people attempt to self manage this with exercise, yoga, foam rollers and pilates which all appear on the surface to help, however there is one large problem... You cannot train a torqued core which will create chronic neck and back as well as knee pain.  These methods all have some benefit however, you need to have a stable core to train, which takes stress off the knees and improves mechanical firing patterns which will keep you looser without doing all these maintenence methods.  This is why visiting the orthopedic and then having therapies thrown at the problem is a lesson in futility for the long term, even though it may offer short term relief.


How do we fix and manage this better

We should screen all children for asymmetry and those who have flat feet should be educated in the importance of shoe inserts or orthotics.  This will improve the way they walk.  A chiropractor who understands the myofascial system (some have special training in the diagnosis and treatment of this, especially those who are involved in sports medicine) can be a terrific asset in your quest for cost effective management for yourself and your family members.

Before you embark on trying to do exercise, a visit to the chiropractor to correct any joint and myofascial problems in the core can lead to a much more successful training experience.  Those who train with a torqued core will get foot, calf, hip and shoulder pain and will find that without the exercise, they continue to tighten. You can break this cycle by getting the core right.

Once the core is functioning properly, in our office, we look at the calves, shins, posterior knee since adhesions in these areas brought on by years of poor body mechanics will also adversely affect the firing pattern of the leg.  We then test and retest because firing patterns can be physically challenged and poor patterns are really obvious to both the doctor and the patient. Chiropractors are also trained and skilled in manipulation of the spine and extremities which is essential for the best outcomes.  This is why we are in demand at major sporting events.

Finally, foot orthotics whether they are custom or off the shelf will improve your gait and should be part of the management of these types of problems.

In Summation


You will notice that knee management is secondary, not primary.  This is because the knee is a conduit and develops problems because of the foot and the core, and usually not because of the knee itself.  Sports simply increase the forces on the region if structurally it is unsound.  Proper management in most knee problems even if an injury occurred should include strengthening and improving core stability, shoe inserts and checking stability of the kinetic chain (the series of joints comprising the ankle, knee and hip).  Once you can tolerate increased forces via testing and have improved stability, you should quickly rehab over a period of 2-6 weeks.

This is quite different from what most people are advised to do however, this makes mechanical sense.  I often tell patients who have growing children to think outside the box when the pediatrician describes leg pain with terms like growing pains and osgood schlatters (a really bad case of shin splints).  These children need a good biomechanical workup and the chiropractor can often be a better place to start.  If you did not improve or if the doctor suspects  there is knee damage which may not be amenable to rehab, the doctor will send you out for testing (MRI) and then make a surgical referral to an orthopedist.

If you have knee pain and have tried the other options I have outlined here, you are likely frustrated by the lack of results.  Here is an approach that is effective, tried and true and methods like active evaluation (challenging areas that are not working properly to find the source of the problem treat, test and retest) which is the future of musculoskeletal medicine.  My hope is that the information in this blog post will help you make better decisions regarding your knees and other problems in the musculoskeletal system.

Proof chiropractic works, chiropractic and the Olympics, Workers compensation and more

One of my colleagues sent me this video of our gang comedies (the little rascals for all you baby boomers) that shows one of the kids giving an adjustment fixing another kids neck.  Years ago, as a kid I saw this one and the clip is quite funny.  Check it out at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB7PL6m8CFg. 


Many of you saw the olympic's and you may not realize that the United States had two chiropractors delivering care to athletes, with one being Blaze Toto from East Brunswick. We attended National college together and being from neighboring towns, cross paths regularly at sports council meetings. Chiropractors had been involved officially in the Olympics since 1980's because the athletes wanted them present.  There are many people out there who still do not trust chiropractors to evaluate certain musculoskeletal problems however those who are really good are in demand and athletes know that it is the most effective way to take care of an injury.  At the olympic's it is a kind of health care nirvana because everyone is an equal part of the team.  Chiropractors, physical therapists and orthopedic doctors work hand in hand with trainers and other medical professionals.  Food for thought considering in the real world, competition and posturing is often considered before the ultimately, the patient is sent to those who are most cost effective.  In NJ, this is most true in our workers compensation system that badly needs change and full inclusion of chiropractors since they have been shown to save money... lots of it and get people back to work faster.